The Potter Twins And The Philosophers Stone
by ValerieArgent16
Summary: Harry and his twin sister, Grace, have always assumed they are regular children - or as regular as any children that sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. But nearing their eleventh birthday, strange things start happening to the twins and mysterious letters begin arriving. Soon, the twins are whisked away and enrolled in Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The twins are magical.
1. Chapter 1: Halloween Night

Chapter One.

 **Godric's Hollow,**

 **31st October, 1991.**

The night is quiet with the sound of flickering electricity from the elderly street lights, which loomed either side of the narrow street, curved over the cobble road like protective giants. The cottage was white fronted with wooden beams stuck both vertically and horizontally to add unneeded age, despite the strange largeness of the home, the living room within was small and cosy, with fluffy cream carpet covers the floor and shelves on the painted blue walls with a red sofa with a matching armchair.

I sit on the sofa clutching my son, Harry, in my arms protectively. On the armchair that has been angled to face slightly towards the sofa, my husband James was seated cuddling our daughter, Grace, in his arms singing a muggle lullaby I recognise from my childhood. The pair were getting fussy, so we place them both on the carpet floor together and James removes his wand from his back pocket, flicked his wrist sending a stream of glittery bubble from the tip.

Grace and Harry gurgled in glee and clumsily reached out for the bubbles that burst into shoots of colour at their touch, and every so often they would accidentally hit each other in the face or fall into one another but neither cared. The twins – yes, twins – never enjoyed being apart, and if for any reason they had to be separated, Harry and Grace would be grumpy until reunited, however, together the pair were incredibly sneaky – which, of course, James and Sirius think is hilarious.

As I sit on the sofa, my elbows on my knees with my head in my hands, I watch my children laugh and play with no care in the world, I feel sickness lay heavy in my stomach like a lead and my chest clenches with anxiety.

 _The pair with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..._

 _Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..._

 _And the Dark Lord will mark them as his equal, but they will have power the Dark Lord knows not..._

 _And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live whilst the others survive..._

 _The pair with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

The prophecy was made by Sybill Trelawney to Albus Dumbledore at the Hog Head pub. It refers to twins born at the end of July. This was James and my fault. Tears threaten to spill out of my eyes as a solid lump forms in my throat. My husbands eyes flicker over to me but I continue staring at our children, only fifteen months old, Harry twelve minutes older than Grace.

James comes to sit beside me on the sofa, he grips my hand tightly, squeezes it before pulling me into the warmth of his body which I accept gratefully. He kisses the top of my head before rubbing the back of my neck, "He won't get them, they are safe." he whispers in my ear.

Despite nodding, my body still shook in nerves mixed with terror and my palms sweated as my hands shake with useless and unknown amounts of adrenaline. My stomach remained heavily and unsettled as my chest just seemed tighter than ever making breathing steadily difficult.

"I'm going to put them to bed." I announce before standing up then scooping up my children, one in each arm, James kisses Harry on his forehead and Grace on her cheek before whispering that he loves them. He then leans in to kiss my lips softly.

"I'll be up in a minute, Lils." he whispers. Smiling, I turn to exit the living room, passing the front door which always remained locked, turned left to begin climbing the stairs.

Halfway up the stairs to the nursery the twins shared, I hear the echo of not to distant footsteps, I hear the rustling of James' newspaper, the turning of a lock and then, a loud crash. I almost fall over on the stairs and with my arms filled with my children, lunging for my wand that is now two steps down the stairs behind me, was impossible.

"Lily!" James cried, the seer tone of my husbands voice terrified me more than anything, "Lily, take Harry, Grace and go! It's him! Run! I'll hold him off –"

I'm frozen with fear, but at the sound of stomping footsteps, spells being shouted, flashes of lights and small crashes and bangs. A sudden jolt of determination to avoid my fate filled me as I sprint up the stairs to a small landing and up to a second set of stairs – only four steps – to the door of the nursery. I place the twins down in their cot, closed the rooms door and locked it with surprisingly steady hands.

Tears suddenly brim my eyes as the twins begin to whine, it has only really just hit me what was truly awaiting them, they are only babies. Harmless. Taking a deep breath, I kneel down by the cot and studied my beautiful children. A boy with black hair and a girl with dark red hair, both staring up at me with fearful green eyes – my eyes.

"Hush." I coo gently, a yell followed by a sickening thud on the stairs echoed through the eerie house, forcing a sob to escape from my lips. _No, James!_ I scream in my mind as tears flood fiercely and freely down my cheeks. A high-pitched evil laugh pierced through the house, bouncing off the walls and grasping my body.

"Mummy loves you, Harry. Daddy loves you, Gracie. We love you both so much." I choke, another sob is muffled by my hands as green light suddenly appears in the dimness, illuminating around the door frame before the wood shatters and flies into the nursery. I turn quickly with shaking knees, shielding the crib containing my children with my body as I face my fate.

He stood there, in the doorway in a full length, black cloak with the hood up, the skin of the wizard was whiter than paper, paler than anything I had ever seen, his head looks around curiously at the scene, his slitted grey eyes gobbled up the images in front of him. I raise my arms higher at my sides to protect more of the crib. The Dark Lord grins mockingly, the bastard smiles as he chuckles in contempt of my feeble protection.

"Not Grace and Harry," I plead, "Please, not them."

The wizard steps into the room, "Stand aside, you stupid girl."

I shook my head, "Not Grace and Harry," I repeat, more confidently and filled with determination, "Take me instead!"

He takes another large, confident step towards me, studying my strong expression as he stand over me, wand held in his long slender finger, ready.

"Have mercy! They are just infants!" I beg, he – Voldemort – grinned and raised his wand. "Please! Have mercy! Please –"

" _Avada Kedavra."_ he spoke with no emotion, I turned swiftly on the balls of my feet to take one last glimpse at my children before the unforgettably familiar stream of bright green light clasped my body. And with the last sight of my children's faces, the world around my goes black.

* * *

James and Lily Potter were dead. Killed in their home in Godric's Hollow. The Dark Lord lets out a cold laugh that echoed menacingly through the house and in the surrounding air as he stepped over the open-eyed corpse of Lily Potter to reach the cot where the Potter twins sat with wet cheeks and snotty noses. Grace wailed at the sight of the flat-faced wizard but Harry didn't, he simply stared down at his mothers body.

Voldemort pointed his wand at the infants, he grinned in delight as he felt an overwhelming rush of power cause through his body as he raised his wand above his head and as he brought it down, he screamed at the top of his lungs: " _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

The green light soared from the end of his want, it hit the twins and illuminated the door, but something strange happened. The green light then rebounded an a violent roar settled in Voldemort's ears, suddenly, he felt pain pulsing through his body. _Something is wrong,_ he thought as his limbs became stiff and his chest tight, _something was very, very wrong._

Then, a yell of pain followed by the light removing itself from the Potter twins, striking Voldemort whose body began to glow with the green light and then suddenly, the light shot out in all directions, shattering the windows, removing paint from the walls and breaking small sections of the houses interior.

When the light settled back to normal with nothing but a lamp lighting the nursery dimly, on the floor lays pieces of shattered wood, splinters of jagged glass, rubble and the body of Lily. Almost the items also laid the black clock that once belonged to Voldemort.

And in the crib sat Harry and Grace Potter, unharmed except for matching, freshly cut lightening bolts. The cuts were no bigger than ¾ of an inch big. Harry's was carved into the left side of his forehead and Grace's was on her right cheek, staring a centimetre and a half from the outer corner of her right eye.

It wasn't long after the tragic event that an unlikely hero appeared to rescue the abandoned and newly orphaned Potter twins, a huge man who needed to duck to enter the nursery, he collected the twins from their destroyed home before muggles could begin poking about. He wrapped the infants in warm blankets, neither of them knowing how special they are. Not knowing how famous they have become.

They couldn't know that that, even in this horrid moment, people are meeting in secret all over the country and holding their glasses up, saying in hushed voices:

" _To Harry and Grace Potter – the children who lived!"_

* * *

 **A/N: _Hi there! This is my first Harry Potter based fanfiction so please be nice! Please comment!_** ** _~ Valerie._**


	2. Chapter 2: Privet Drive

Chapter Two.

 **The Dursleys.**

Mr and Mrs Dursley were proud to say that they were perfectly normal. They would never be involved in anything strange or mysterious because they didn't hold with such nonsense, nor did they believe in such. Vernon Dursley was a round beefy, pompous man with barely a neck holding up his large head that strikingly resembled a melon and hiding his top lip was a fuzzy moustache. His wife, Petunia Dursley, looked like a stork – thin and slender – with a pointy face, black hair and a neck twice the usual length, which came in very useful as she spent most of her time craning over the garden fences, spying on the neighbours. The Dursleys also had a round son named Dudley, and in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.

The Dursleys had everything they could ever want, however they also had a secret and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it, they couldn't bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Lily was Petunia's sister but they hadn't been in contact for several years; in fact, Mrs Dursley pretended that she didn't even have a sister. This was because her sister and her husband were as opposite to the Dursleys as possible, they shuddered to think what the neighbours would think if the Potters arrived at their door.

It was no secret to the Vernon and Petunia that the Potters have a small twins but they'd never seen them. These infant children were another good reason for keeping the Potters away. Odd parents – such as James and Lily – create equally as weird children. They didn't want their precious Dudley mixing with children like that.

Privet Drive was darkened with night and the loud snores of Mr Dursley could be heard from the street, no one noticed a large tawny owl fluttering passed the window with a flock of shooting stars. On a rickety brick wall down the road of number four, sat a sightly oversized tabby cat with shining emerald green eyes and a strange collar with a large purple medallion around its neck. And Mr Dursley had been paying attention when he left for work that morning and returned home that evening, he would of realised the tabby watching him and his family throughout the day.

Suddenly, at the end of the street, a flash of light with a violent swish of air followed by the appearing of a strange looking man. He was very tall, a little rounded but incredibly old judging by his long silver hair and matching beard which were both long enough to tuck in his belt. The clothing he was wearing was equally as strange as the man himself, the long robe with deep purple clock which swept the floor. His eyes were such bright blue, they almost sparkle behind his half-moon spectacles.

Inside his pocket, the man seemed to be searching for something, and after what seemed like forever, the man eventually removed a strange item from his pocket, it was like a long lighter with a dip in the center, he flicks it open before clicking the button on the side, the nearest street lamp went – _zap_ – before a beam of light removed itself from the street lamp and was absorbed by the item the man held in his hand. The strange man continued to do this until the only street lamp left was the one above the cat, therefore if anyone – including beady eyed Mrs Dursley – was to look out onto the street, they wouldn't be able to see anything which was happening.

The tabby cat's eyes narrowed and its tail twitched. He slipped the Put-Outer into his pocket before walking confidently down the road towards the cat that never took his eye off him. "Good to see you here, Professor McGonagall." he grins at the tabby.

The cat pounced off the wall into the darkness, and what emerged from the dark was a severe-looking woman who – like Petunia Dursley – was tall and thin. She wore her hair in a tight bun keeping her face on show with large green eyes. McGonagall also wore a clock which, like the cats eyes, was emerald. Also the cats collar was a necklace the professor wore around her throat.

"I guess you and I are here for the same reason, Albus."Professor McGonagall signed heavily. Dumbledore nodded, the pair of Professors walked up the road side-by-side, "I didn't believe it about Lily and James when I first heard."

"I'm certain we all didn't believe it," Albus said, his tone was saddened by the thought, "But, I'm afraid it is true, Voldemort came after James and Lily in their home in Godric's Hollow, now they are dead and he is gone."

McGonagall shuddered at the name, Voldemort. However she didn't fight it, after all, he was now gone so their shouldn't be any fear in speaking his name. "What is going to happen to their children – Harry and Grace?" she asked nervously. Albus Dumbledore looked around the darkened street, the pair stopped two houses down from number four and then it clicked within McGonagall's mind. He intended for the twins to live with the Dursleys! "They can't love with those people!" she gasped – almost angrily – pointing at the Dursley house.

"It's the best place for them." Dumbledore says,

McGonagall shakes her head, "No, these Muggles are awful! They would be better to stay with Black."

Dumbledore disagrees, "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to them when they are older. I've written them a letter."

"Really Dumbledore, a letter?" Professor signs, "You think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand them! Those twins will be famous – legends – I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Potter Twins Day! Everyone in our world will know their names!"

"Exactly," said Albus, looking very seriously over the top of his glasses, "These children are famous, famous before they can even walk and talk! Famous for something neither of them will remember. It'll be good for them to grow up here, away from all that until they are old enough to understand it all."

McGonagall suddenly felt guilty and nodded, "Yes, you're right."

"Good," Dumbledore signed, "Now, Hagrid will be along at any minute with them."

" _Hagrid?_ " McGonagall gasped.

As the low rumble echoed from a distance, the pair of Professors turned to face the noise as it slowly got louder and louder. The glow of a headlight pierced through the dark as a large motorbike fell from the air, the screech of breaks was enough to make the street lamps shake but the vehicle came to a stop in front of them. And if the motorbike was huge, it was nothing in comparison to the man riding it, he was twice the height of a regular man and about five times the width with hands the size of dustbin lids and feet the size of baby dolphins. He looked wild – almost mad with long tangles of jet black hair and a beard that almost hid his entire face with large eyebrows. And in his vast, muscular arms, he was holding bundles of blankets.

"Hagrid," Dumbledore sighed with relief approaching the man, "Do you have them?"

Hagrid gestured down to his arms, lifting them slightly to show the blankets. "No problems, the house was almost destroyed, but I got them out before the Muggles could poke about. They fell asleep as we was flying over Bristol."

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bend forward over the bundles of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy and girl clutching each others hands with their heads touching, fast asleep. Under a tuft of black hair over the boys forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut like a lightening bolt and on the girls right cheek was the same one.

"They'll have those scars for ever." Dumbledore said.

"Can't you do something about it?" McGonagall asks.

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground." he smiles proudly, "Well now – give them here, Hagrid – we'd better get this over with."

Hagrid became to cry as Dumbledore door walked up the path between the small front garden and the garage where the Dursley's car sat. He laid the twins on the front doorstep gently, took a letter from his cloak, tucked it inside Harry and Grace's blankets and then rejoined McGonagall and Hagrid.

"Don't be sad, Hagrid. It's not goodbye forever." Dumbledore says gently patting the larger man's shoulder, Hagrid wiped his tears on an old rag. The trio watched the infants for a full minute staring at the bundle of blankets; Professor McGonagall was blinking furiously – she still wasn't very happy about Dumbledore sending the twins to live here – Hagrid was wiping his face and blowing his nose as his shoulders shook and the glisten in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone.

"Well," the elderly man said, "We've got no business here. Lets go enjoy the celebrations."

As Dumbledore turned swiftly on his heels and headed down the darkened street, Hagrid zoomed off, empty-handed on his motorbike whilst Professor McGonagall had disappeared. At the end of the street, Albus removed the silver Put-Outer from his pocket and returned the lights to the streets so Privet Drive was glowing dull orange again. He could just make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the entrance of the street and he could also see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.

race Potter squirmed in her blankets, without waking up. Harry Potter remained clutching onto the letter Albus Dumbledore had placed in his small fist. Neither child knew that in several hours they would be woken by the scream of Mrs Dursley as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that they would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by their cousin Dudley.

"Good luck, Harry and Grace, by Merlin you are going to need it," Dumbledore murmured, "I'll see you, much sooner than you can even imagine." Then, the strange man turned on his heels and with one swish of his cloak, he was gone.

* * *

 **A/N: _Thought a second chapter would entice you all to favourite, follow and review. Yes, I know this is very similar to the book but I felt it was important to have a chapter such as this to help strengthen the storyline. Anyway, Grace and Harry at now at their uncle and aunts home, I wonder what will happen ;)_**


	3. Chapter 3: First Trip

Chapter Three.

 **The Zoo.**

"Get up! Up! Now!"

I awake with a start at the screeching of my Aunt Petunia. Her shrills shock me into sitting bolt upright resulting in me violently head-butting the stairs above me. Growling angrily, I kick my brother Harry in the arm until he had awoken whilst rubbing the top section of my head.

"Are you awake?" the high-pitched voice of Aunt Petunia echoed through the wooden door followed by the recognisable noise of the bolt sliding across allowing myself and Harry to exit the cupboard under the stairs – or as we call it, our bedroom.

"Yes, we are awake." Harry huffs, the sound of our Aunties footsteps walk away towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. My brother throws the duvet over himself and rolled up hiding his entire body, no doubt trying to savour a few more precious minutes of sleep.

I wish I could just roll over and go back to sleep, in a desperate attempt to try and remember the dream I had been having. It was very strange, hazy and confusing. There had been a glowing green light and the waves of grey hair and half-moon glasses. As I remember sections, I have a funny feeling this wasn't the first time I'd dreamt about it.

Suddenly, Aunt Petunia was back outside the cupboard, "Get a move on, I want one of you to look after the bacon and don't you dare let it burn! I want everything to be perfect for Duddy's birthday."

 _Duddy's?_ I groan in my head as Harry groans out loud. Dudley's birthday – how could we forget? I threw my pillow in Harry's direction as I begin to get dressed starting by looking for my socks. Pulling on my left sock, I notice that in the top right hand corner of the cupboard, the spider which I'd named Felix. Living under the stairs, Harry and I had gotten used to spiders, at first I used to kill them but when I discovered that no matter how many I killed, two more would replace them it didn't seem worth it. However Felix is the longest to of stayed. Maybe more on to the corridor outside or adventure to the garage.

Harry suddenly threw the pillow back in my face with vengefulness. I made a strange noise as the pillow made contact with my face knocking me backwards into the stairs again. Throwing the pillow back, I escape the cupboard before my brother can retaliate it however he does follow me out quickly giving me a playful hug which earns us a sharp yell from Petunia.

Inside the kitchen, the table was practically hidden beneath the mountain of presents Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had bought for Dudley. From one strangely shaped present, it looks as if Dudley had gotten that computer he had demanded for, and not to mention a new television. And there appeared to be some sort of BMX amongst the pile, which is strange because I can't imagine why Dudley would want one, he's incredibly fat and hates exercise. However Dudley enjoyed punching, and his favourite punching bags still remained Harry and myself, but unlike my brother, I have started to punch back but I assume that's because unlike Harry, I'm not a fast runner.

I'm not sure if it was because he was skinny that Harry was a good runner. There have been times when I worried about his health and well-being. My brother was short, the same height of myself but skinny with a thin face and knobbly knees. On top of his head was a mop of thick black hair that fell down over his forehead stopping just before the circle glasses he wore. About once a week, Uncle Vernon would yell over his newspaper about Harry needing a haircut, it wouldn't surprise me if he had more haircuts than any other boy, however something is strange about Harry's hair, it would just grow back, over night and in the same way as before – all over the sodding place. His glasses where held together by sellotape I had applied myself because at the time he couldn't see – Dudley had just punched him in the nose.

Harry and I were very different, both physically and mentally. Our hairs were different first off, his mop of black hair was nothing compared to my auburn hair that was darker than most with a strange hint of dark red, (due to this Dudley enjoyed calling me; Ginger, despite not being correct). I wasn't thin like Harry however I wasn't fat like Dudley. Mentally, Harry and I were rather different, he was a lot friendlier than I and a lot more sociable. I however, was slightly less approachable and with the constant facial expression of Wednesday Addams, I understand why people avoid me in school.

The only thing similar about myself and Harry, is our matching, thin lightening bolt scars. Harry's rested on his forehead whilst mine was set beneath my right eye on my cheek. We've had them for as long as either of us can remember, I remember the first and only time I ever asked Aunt Petunia about it.

"In the car crash when your parents died," she just grumbled, "And don't ask questions."

That was the first rule of living at the Dursleys – _don't ask questions._ Ever. However I couldn't help but wonder if she was telling the truth about mine and Harry's parents, I mean not to be disrespectful to Aunt Petunia – as my mother was her sister – or my parents but mine and Harry's scars are identical aside from placement.

Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as I was turning over the bacon in the frying pan. Six pieces of bacon sat in the pan for me to dish up. Two for Dudley and two for Uncle Vernon, one for Aunt Petunia and one piece for Harry and I to share.

"Brush your hair!" he barked at me as Harry and I swap over so he could fry eggs. Aunt Petunia then attacked my hair with a brush, mumbling about how it's important to look nice and respectful. I sleep in a set of Dudley's old clothing – a set of P.E shorts and a plain black T-shirt. Harry sleeps and dresses in Dudley's old clothing which drowns him as Harry is a lot smaller than our cousin.

Soon, Dudley enters the kitchen. Aunt Petunia instantly makes a fuss over her son, smoothing down his already flat hair that sits on top of his fat head. Aunt Petunia often goes on about how Dudley looked like a baby angel – Harry and I often laugh about the fact Dudley looked like a pig in a wig, much like Uncle Vernon, both have large pink faces, not much neck, small and watery blue eyes.

"Hurry up!" Uncle Vernon suddenly yelled, "Where's no coffee girl?" he questions.

"Coming, Uncle Vernon." I mumble, pouring out freshly made coffee and adding three large teaspoons of sugar into the cup and stirring it. As I take the cup over to the table, Harry is bring over breakfast. We place our items down on the table, which is difficult because their isn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. And one he'd look like he had finished, his face fell.

"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father, "Two less than last year."

Aunt Petunia looked worried, "Sweetie, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under the table."

This didn't help Dudley's temper, he was quickly going red in the face. Both Harry and I could sense a huge tantrum from their cousin coming quickly and began wolfing down our breakfast as fast as possible in case Dudley tipped the table over – which wouldn't be unlikely.

"Last year I had thirty-eight!" he screams making Auntie Petunia jump violently which causes Uncle Vernon jerk, spilling his coffee over the white table cloth. Before he could hiss at me, I'd fetched the tea towel and began pressing it on the hot coffee which was now staining the cloth.

"Yes, but some of them are quite a bit bigger than last year." Uncle Vernon attempted to reason with his son.

Dudley went even redder – I wasn't aware it was possible, and almost raised up to over power his father, "I don't care how big they are!" he spits.

Aunt Petunia stands beside her child, rubbing across his shoulder tenderly, "No listen, poppet." she coos softly, "This is what we are going to do, when we go out, we're going to buy you two new presents, hows that?"

My cousin just huffs, and stalks off to his pile of presents and begins ripping the paper off his presents. The air in the kitchen is thick with tension but Harry and I are used to that sort of environment. Nevertheless, it was somewhat off putting knowing that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were even more on edge that usual, Harry and I cleared and washed the plates and cups.

The telephone rings making Aunt Petunia jump as she was too busy watching Dudley tearing open at box that held a golden wristwatch – which was strange since he couldn't tell the time. By the time Aunt Petunia had returned, Dudley had thrown the watch to the side, showing no real interest in it.

"Bad new, Vernon," she announced, "Mrs Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them."

 _Them?_ We have names, not that it really truly bothered me, its just the tone she used, like we were the scum off the earth. A complete inconvenience to them, surely if they didn't want us they could of said. Dudley's mouth hit the floor at the news but I can tell by the wideness that had taken to Harry's eyes, his heart had given the same leap of mine.

Mrs Figg was an elderly lady that lived across the street, she was mad. Her entire house smelt like cabbage with six cats lazing about on difference pieces of furniture. Mrs Figg had a strange likely to Harry and always sat him down to show him pictures of all the cats she's had over the years, whereas she just leaves me to muck about with Harley, a Bengal cat that had – for some unknown reason – taken a liking to me and refused to leave me unattended whilst I was round there. Every year on Dudley's birthday, Petunia and Vernon took him out for the day, usually with a few friends. They went to burger restaurants and amusement parks. Every year, myself and Harry was left behind with Mrs Figg, he hated it, I didn't find it too bad.

"What now?" asked Aunt Petunia, who was staring at me and Harry so furiously I'm surprised we still have some of our face left, it wasn't as if we had planned this. Petunia suggested Marge, but she hates us so that wasn't an option, neither was Petunia's friend Yvonne – who was apparently on holiday in Majorca.

"You could just leave us here," I suggest, rather optimistically, if they left us here, we could watch what we wanted for once on television and maybe play on Dudley's computer.

Uncle Vernon scoffed, "And come back to find the house in ruins?"

I raise my arms in a disbelieving manor, "We aren't going to blow the house up." I object but they were listening. Harry comes to stand next to me as our Aunt and Uncle begin to discuss us like we aren't even there.

"They could stay in the car..." Petunia whispered.

Vernon snarled, "It's a new car, they aren't sitting in there by themselves."

Just then, Dudley let out a howl of upset. Harry and I knew instantly that our cousin wasn't really crying, it had been years since he truly cried but Dudley wasn't stupid in the art of pretending, especially when it came to his mother. He knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed like a dying dog, his mother would give him anything he wanted.

"I don't want them to come!" Dudley yelled through his fake sobs, "They spoil everything!"

A smirk crosses my face, unintentionally and Harry nudges me before Uncle Vernon sees. Suddenly, Aunt Petunia had me by the upper arm, her sharp, neatly polished nails digging into the sensitive skin. She dragged me up the stairs and into the spare room – or better known as Dudley's second bedroom. Petunia dragged out a box out of the wardrobe, I remember Dudley kicking off about it when his mother first placed the item in the room.

I watch as Petunia's lanky form lingers over the box she rummages through, then she pulls out the most hideous thing I had ever seen. It was a pink dress with white lace collar and hem, the sleeves where short also with white lace marking the edges.

"I'm not wearing that!" I hiss.

Aunt Petunia laughed like a witch, "I think you are." she says before throwing it at me, "I will not have you go out looking like a scruff."

Crossing my arms, I drop the dress to the floor. "No."

She gripped me by the upper arm, her nails digging in so much she actually punctured the skin, "You will wear it. Change now!" she yells, leaving the room and slamming the door. Signing heavily, I knew it would just be easier to wear it, punishment will only follow if I defy her.

I take off my night clothes and slip on the dress, catching a brief glimpse of myself in the mirror of the bedroom. I looked like an idiot. Pulling at the collar of the dress (that seemed desperate to strangle me) I exited the bedroom, Aunt Petunia held back her giggles as she saw me.

"Now, lets sort out your hair." Petunia said before attacking me with a hairbrush, ripping the item through my knotted hair. My eyes watered horrifically but I fought back giving Petunia the satisfaction of seeing me hurt.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

Aunt Petunia huffs, "The zoo."

* * *

Harry and Dudley laughed together for the first time when I had followed Aunt Petunia downstairs to join them. Uncle Vernon just stared at me like I was nothing whereas Petunia actually looked rather pleased with herself at my appearance. Half an hour later, when Harry and Dudley were appropriate dressed, we were all squished in the back of the car, Dudley refused to be in the middle or the squish seat, however he continued to complain the entire journey that Harry – who had sat in the middle – was deliberately repeatedly elbowing him in the side. Which wasn't true but of course, neither Petunia or Vernon was going to believe us.

I was so excited to go to the zoo for the first time, animals fascinated me more than anything and I couldn't wait to see some of the animals I had only seen in photos in real life. Apparently my excitement had gotten the better of me because as soon as the car stopped, I shot out. Uncle Vernon pulled me to one side quickly.

"Stop embarrassing us girl," he hisses before pulling Harry to my side, "Listen here you two, I'm warning you, any funny business... anything at all – and I'll lock you in that cupboard with no meals for a week."

My eyebrows furrow unintentionally, "Were not going to do anything,"

"Honestly..." Harry trails off. But Uncle Vernon didn't believe us. No one ever does.

There was one little problem with Harry and I promising we wont do anything and the problem was that strange things often happened to us without us influencing them. However it was useless telling the Dursleys this, they'd never believe we didn't make them happen. For example, Aunt Petunia got so sick of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as if he hadn't been at all, she one day took a pair of scissors and cut his hair so short you could see his scalp, except for his fringe which she left 'to hide that horrible scar'. I remember Harry tossing and turning that night, no doubt worrying about what would happen at school tomorrow, he is bullied, I know he is despite him refusing to tell me about it.

The next morning however, we woke up to see that his hair was exactly the way it was before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. We both had been given a week in the cupboard for this, even though we both had tried to explain that _neither_ of us could explain how it happened.

But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dursley, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon to be spending a day that wasn't school, in the cupboard or with Mrs Figg's house. It was a very warm and sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. All happy. Dudley was bought an ice cream at the entrance whilst Harry and I went without.

My brother and I had the best morning we'd had in a long time, as we carefully walked a nice distance from the Dursleys so they didn't acknowledge us laughing and saying the gorilla looks like Dudley – who had started to get bored of the animals by lunch-time. We all ate in the zoo restaurant, Harry and I were forced to spare a plate of chips whilst Dudley got two meals because his first wasn't large enough for him.

After lunch, we headed for the reptile house, which was the place I have been most anxious to visit since we arrived. The building was cool an dark with lit windows that acted as look ins into the reptiles accommodation, where different sorts of lizards and snake climbing and slithering over rocks and wood and a few caiman swimming in a pool and lounging on the sand. Dudley wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick man-crushing pythons. Our cousin quickly found the largest snake in the place, it was eighteen feet long with the ability to crush a human – preferably one of the Dursleys – but at the moment, it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was laid on a rock in the shine of it's heat-bulb.

Dudley pressed his ugly face against the glass, staring at the beautiful scaled creature. "Make it move," he demand to his father. Uncle Vernon then tapped on the glass surprisingly gently with his knuckle but the python didn't move.

"Move!" Dudley screamed suddenly making Harry, myself and Petunia jump as he bangs on the plastic window making it shake violently, but the snake still remained asleep. "He's boring..." Dudley then moaned before shuffling away.

Harry and I swiftly moved in front of the glass to peer in and look intently at the large snake, I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't died of boredom. His enclosure was large but with only him inside the poor creature must be lonely with only people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb them whilst pressing their faces and hands against the glass.

"Sorry about them," I say intently trying not to look crazy, "They don't understand that its like, hell, non of us understand what it's like to lay there day after having people press their ugly faces in on you."

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, raised its head until its eyes were level with mine and Harry's. Then, _it winked._ Harry continued staring at the reptile whilst I darted my head around making sure no one else was watching. Thankfully they weren't, and the Dursleys where a safe distance away.

Then I turned back, I winked at the snake. The creature jerked its head in the direction of Uncle Vernon and then raised his head to the ceiling, almost rolling his eyes as if to say: _"I get that all the time."_

"It must be really annoying." Harry murmured through the glass, neither of us where sure if the snake could actually hear us. However, the snake nodded vigorously. I looked over at the sign on the right hand sign next to the glass, it reads: _Boa Constrictor, Brazil._

"Was it nice in Brazil? Do you miss your family?" I ask the snake. The constrictor jabbed its head towards a separate sign, _this specimen was bred in captivity._ "Oh, I see – its the same with us, we never knew our parents either."

The snake dipped its head, almost in sympathy to me and Harry because I guess he, or she, understood how it felt never to know your family or to know where you really came from.

"Just so we know," Harry then said, "Do you speak to people often?"

As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout from behind us made all three of us jump. "MUM! DAD! COME HERE YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT THIS SNAKE IS DOING!" our cousin screams waddling towards us as fast as he could before lunging between me and Harry shoving us both to the side, knocking Harry and I to the floor.

We both landed either side of the constrictor's vivarium on the cold concrete floor. Anger flooded through me, and I could see the same anger flicker across Harry's face. What came next happened so fast, Harry and I didn't believe it, but as we scowled at Dudley, the glass on the front of the enclosure vanished and Dudley fell into the snakes home.

I sat up swiftly as Harry gasped; the great snake uncoiled itself rapidly and began to slither out on to the floor, ignoring Dudley. The snake turned from Harry to me before almost grinning and in a low, hissing voice said, "Thanks." I felt instantly faint but for some reason, everything seemed normal about this.

"Any time." I replied with a small smile before looking over at Harry to looked shocked but a ghostly smile rested on his lips. Suddenly, I remembered Dudley was inside the snakes accommodation as the Boa slithered off causing people throughout the reptile house to scream and sprint towards the exits. Looking up, I saw Dudley was laid in the snakes pool, he stood up soaking wet and reached out to get out the same way the snake had but the glass had reappeared, sealing him in.

"Ah! Mummy! Daddy! Help!" he began to scream banging on the glass.

Aunt Petunia let out to most awful, high-pitched scream I'd ever heard, "OH MY DARLING BOY! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

The keeper of the reptile house was in shock at the sight of Dudley in the snakes accommodation. I get up and walk over to Harry and help him to his feet but one look at Harry caused me to crack up into giggles, my twin erupted into chuckles.

Uncle Vernon's eyes then jerked to me and Harry, neither of us to stop our giggles in time. And it was then we knew a punishment was headed our way. The zoo keeper let Dudley out of the Boa Constrictors accommodation, wrapping him up in a blanket before allowing us to leave but not until giving the Dursleys free access passes to the zoo for the next year.

As soon as we got home, Uncle Vernon went red in the face and he looked furious, he clasped one of my ears and one of Harry's dragging us together before demanding, "What happened!?"

"We don't know!" Harry screeched as Uncle Vernon twisted our ears painfully.

"One minute the glass was there, then it was gone!" I gasp trying to deal with the pain, "It was like magic!"

Uncle Vernon growled like a hound, he opened the door to our cupboard and practically threw us in there and locked the door behind us. "There's no such thing as magic!" he screeches before shutting the hatch, plummeting us into darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: Thought I'd give you a long chapter, what did you guys think? Give me a review!**


	4. Chapter 4: First Letters

Chapter Four.

 **Mysterious Letters.**

The escaped Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry and myself the longest punishment ever. By the time we were allowed out of the cupboard again, school had finished and the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken several of his birthday toys and the first time on his bike, he knocked down old Mrs Figg as she crossed the road on her crutches.

I was so glad school was over because Harry and myself spend as much time out of the house as possible, just wondering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where we could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came, we were off to secondary school and, for the first time in our life, we wouldn't be with Dudley – who had a place at Uncle Vernon's old school.

We spoke briefly about the incident at the zoo, Harry thought he was crazy and if I'm honest, I felt mad. A snake was speaking to us, we were speaking to a bloody snake in the zoo. Did Harry and I make the glass disappear? Even if we didn't, I wouldn't care, it was totally worth it.

One day in July, Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley was breaking in his new school uniform, the school he will be attending, Smeltings requires the boys to wear a maroon tailcoat, orange knickerbockers and flat straw hats called boaters. He also carried a knobbly stick, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking.

They heard the click of the letter-box and flop of the letters on the doormat.

"Get the post, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.

"Make Harry get it." our cousin replies.

"Get the post, Harry."

"Make Grace get it." my twin teases.

"Get the post, Grace." said Uncle Vernon, in the same boring tone.

"Make Dudley get it." I say, going along with the joke.

Suddenly, a sharp poke struck my side as Dudley had poked me with his Smeltings stick. I scowled at him before getting up to collect the post. Four things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was holidaying on the Isle of Mull, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and – _a letter for Harry and myself._

I picked the letters up and stared at them, my heart knocking so hard against my chest I feared it might break out. Me and harry had letters. No one, ever, in our whole entire life, had written to us. Who would? We had no friends, no other relations – we didn't even belong to a library so we'd never get rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter each, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

 _Miss G. Potter_

 _The Cupboard under the Stairs_

 _4 Privet Drive_

 _Little Whinging_

 _Surrey_

Harry's was exactly the same, except addressed to him. The envelope was thick, heavy and made of yellow tinted parchment and the address was written in beautiful emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. I turned the envelope over and over in my trembling hands. A purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, a eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.

"Hurry up, girl!" Uncle Vernon bellowed from the kitchen, I dashed into the kitchen quickly, still staring at mine and Harry's letters. I handed Uncle Vernon the bill and postcard, sat down next to Harry at the kitchen table, slipping the letter into his hands and then slowly began to open the yellow envelope.

Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted with disgust and flipped over the postcard, "Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia, "Ate a funny whelk..."

"Dad! Look! They've got letters!" Dudley suddenly screamed, just when me and Harry were about to unfold our letters, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of our hands. Mine by Uncle Vernon and Harry's by Dudley.

"Give it back!" Harry growls.

"Those are ours!" I hiss trying to snatch back.

Dudley, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia screamed with laughter, Dudley laughed a lot more than his parents. "Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking Harry's letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from laughing to stunned before his flipped open my letter and his face went from red to green quicker than traffic lights, then suddenly he went white.

With no words, he passed the letter to Petunia who simply glanced at the coat of arms and for a second, it looked as if she might faint. She took a sharp inhalation of breath which caused her to choke. They just stared at each other, clearly forgetting that Dudley, Harry and myself where still stood there, completely clueless as to what was happening, leaving me to wonder what was said in those letters to cause such upset.

"I want to read the letter," Harry said furiously.

"Get out, all three of you." croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letters back inside its envelopes.

"Their our letters, you've got no right – !"

My objection was short lived as Uncle Vernon violently grabbed the back of my neck and Harry by the scruff of his jumper whilst pushing Dudley with our bodies to practically throw us into the corridor, slamming the kitchen door behind us three. Harry and I promptly began to fight over who got to listen through the keyhole, then Dudley shoved his both aside so Harry and I listened through the crack between the door and door-frame.

"How can they possible know where they sleep?" Petunia asked.

"Could be watching – spying – on the house." Uncle Vernon muttered wildly, you could hear his shiny black shoes clomping along the kitchen floor as he paced.

"But, what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back –?"

Uncle Vernon huffed, as if his wife's suggestion was the stupidest thing in the world, "Of course no, we'll just ignore it. They'll get the hint."

Petunia signed, "But, Vernon, maybe..."

"I said, _no._ " Uncle Vernon said strongly, "And that's the end of it."

* * *

Harry and I spent most of the day in our cupboard or wondering about the house, simply curious about our letters. If it was like any other day we would of adventured out but I knew Harry wanted to hear if Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia spoke anymore about the sender of the letters. Why where they writing to us? Who where they? How did they know us? All these questions circled around and around in my mind sending me into fits of rage. Why wouldn't our Aunt and Uncle read them? What was so against their idea of normal that would restrict us from reading those letters?

The next morning at breakfast, everyone was quiet and the atmosphere was tense. Dudley seemed more upset than Harry and I that he didn't get to read the letters and Uncle Vernon refused to speak another word about it. I suddenly regretted not opening the letter in the hallway, or hiding it in the cupboard.

When the post arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry and myself, made Dudley go and get it. I could hear him hitting things with his Smeltings stick in the hallway, then suddenly he shouted, "There's more letters for them!"

Uncle Vernon let out a strangled cry before leaping up and dashing into the corridor, anger flooded his face as he ripped up the letters – I guessed that where addressed to myself and Harry – into a thousand pieces. He then threw the pieces of parchment into the kitchen bin, put on the kitchen and then returned to his arm chair as if nothing had happened.

On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived, six addressed to Harry and six addressed to myself. We watched from the cupboard as Uncle Vernon snarled at them as he read the fronts before ripping them into shreds.

On Saturday, things had gotten a little more drastic, twenty-four letters each had arrived addressed to Harry and myself. The sun was shining bright on that day so after Harry and I watched Uncle Vernon burn the letters, we spent the day in the back garden, kicking a football about, sun bathing and just generally talking. Growing up with just the two of us, we have become incredibly close, Harry is more than a twin, or a brother, he's like my best friend, someone I don't have to keep secrets from.

As we lay on the soft grass, I spotted something unusual, something I had never seen on Privet Drive before: an owl. It was a combination of brown, grey and black mixed in to almost camouflage it amongst the trees but it's large yellow eyes stared intensely at me. It had small tufts of hair on either side of his head creating the appearance of horns. It was a Great Horned Owl.

"Harry, look! There's an owl!" I say tugging on my brothers top as he lay beside me still looking up at the sky. Harry sat up slowly and glanced in the direction I was staring.

"No there isn't." he huffed. Confused, I glanced back over to the tree where, just moments before, the owl was perched staring at myself in the garden, but Harry was right, there was no owl, just an empty tree.

Then suddenly, from inside the house, a growl echoed followed by the electric whirling of a drill, then the squeaking of wood. Harry and I darted inside to see what was happening. At the front door, Uncle Vernon was drilling small planks of wood over the letter-box.

"They'll never be able to deliver the letters now," he mumbled like a mad man to himself, "They'll give up."

 _They? Who's they?_ I wonder, I didn't want to ask, instead, Harry and I simply exited the hallway silently, not disturbing Uncle Vernon and returned to the garden.

On Sunday morning, things seemed distant, Aunt Petunia and Dudley were sat on the sofa watching television in peace and quiet. Uncle Vernon looked tired and ill however he was strangely jolly and even allowed Harry and myself to eat what we desired for breakfast.

"Sundays," Uncle Vernon hums happily to himself, "In my opinion, the best day of them all. Why is that Harry?"

Harry, who had been too distracted by eating his breakfast, just looked up at Uncle Vernon. "Hmm?"

"Why is Sunday the best day of the week?" he asks again, slightly less cheery.

It takes Harry a moment but he finally gets the answer Uncle Vernon is looking for, "Because there's no post on Sundays."

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's faces light up with enthusiasm, "Right you are, not a single, bloody letter –"

Almost like it was waiting for that moment, a something came whizzing down from the chimney in the living room, it skimmed past Uncle Vernon's nose. Non of us had time to take in what had just happened, because moments take, letters upon letters began pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. Petunia shrieked as Dudley yelled and quickly threw their arms over their faces. The letters bounced off the walls and floor. Harry and I were leaping about trying to catch one of the letters, completely ignoring Uncle Vernon's yells.

"Got one!" I yelled at Harry through the chaos, we took off like bullets with Uncle Vernon hot on our heels trying to snatch the letter form me. When Harry and I reached our cupboard, it was locked and in the panic, we couldn't unlock it fast enough. Uncle Vernon grabbed me by the middle and snatched the letter off me whilst Harry tried to grab another, he threw me into one arm and grabbed my brother tightly.

"THAT'S IT!" Uncle Vernon bellowed, "WE'RE GOING AWAY, FAR AWAY. WHERE THEY CAN'T FIND US!"

Aunt Petunia was ordered to pack a suitcase with a few items of clothing for each of us whilst Dudley, Harry and I were ordered to get into the car. His face was so red and terrifying that no one dared argue. And in five minutes, we were driving away from 4 Privet Drive, Dudley was sniffling, Petunia was paler than a sheet of paper and Vernon was still a red shade and his fat hands squeezed the steering wheel of the car tightly.

We drove and we drove. Aunt Petunia didn't ask where we were going and Uncle Vernon didn't stop for food or drink all day, Dudley was howling in the seat next to me because he was hungry, he'd missed four television programmes he wanted to see and he'd never gone so long without destroying an alien on the computer.

By nightfall, we had finally pulled up outside the most sinister looking hotel I'd ever seen. And when Vernon let down his window, I could hear the crashing of waves and the smell of salt. A man appeared, all dressed in black, he was short, possibly five-foot-four if he could stand up straight, the glimmering headlights allowed us all to see the hollow exterior of the man's face with wispy white hairs peeking out from underneath the woolly hat he wore and he was holding a long, thin package.

"Dursley?" he croaked, Uncle Vernon just nodded. The frail old man smiled, his lips parting showing that he was missing several teeth and the others are rotting severally. "There's a storm forecast for tonight, yous better get movin' if you wanna miss it." the man spoke.

Outside of the car was freezing, Dudley screamed as he met the cold air. "Where are we going?!" Dudley demanded to know pulling on the coat of his mother. The toothless man just smirked before pointing to the water. Glancing closer, I would see what appeared to be a large rock way out at sea, however perched on top of it was the most miserable little shack you could imagine, it looked as if at any moment it was going to crumble into the water.

"I've got some food and water," Uncle Vernon says happily raising the bag in his arms, "So all aboard."

I look confused, "All aboard what?"

Uncle Vernon pointed to an old rowing boat that looked as if it wouldn't handle the weight of one of us, let alone four. Dudley let out a howl whilst Petunia choked on her own air, Harry and I just headed for the boat. It was freezing as we crossed the semi-calm water, icy sea spray and rain crept down our bodies as the harsh wind whipped our faces. After what seemed like hours, we finally surfaced on the rock, Uncle Vernon directed us, slipping and sliding to the shack.

If I thought the outside was bad, nothing could of prepared me for the inside. The wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden wall and the interior smelt like damp and rotting. There was a fire place that looked as if it hadn't be used for years and to add insult, there was only two rooms: the living room and a bedroom upstairs.

"What a great place to spend our birthday." Harry muttered to me. Then it dawned on me, tomorrow was our eleventh birthday. Of course, our birthdays were never exactly fun, Petunia and Vernon would scrap together some sort of presents, usually socks, a hair brush, maybe some colouring pens. However Harry and I usually figured out a way to get each other little gifts, usually things we make.

As night fell, the storm began to rage more and more ferociously. Harry, Dudley and myself were told to stare what I assume is the living-room/kitchen area downstairs. Dudley spread out on the sofa leaving me and Harry to lay on the cold floor sharing a singular blanket – which we found better was to lay on the floor to help soften it. Neither me or Harry could sleep, we simply shivered, not wanting to cuddle up together but I knew it was the only way to contain body-heat.

The light of Dudley's digital watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist. It was three minutes to go, something hard slapped against the rocks outside, probably the sea. And two minutes to go, what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? One minute to go and we'll be eleven.

Thirty seconds... Twenty... nine – eight – seven – maybe we would wake Dudley just to annoy him, Harry drew a birthday cake in the dust on the floor, three – two – one –

"Happy birthday!" we both chanted quietly.

Then, a sudden, _BOOM,_ the entire shack shook, Harry and I sat bolt up right, Dudley was shook awake and a strangled yell from upstairs – which I assumed was Aunt Petunia judging. Another lord man echoed from the door, shaking the house to its foundations.

Someone was outside, trying to enter.

* * *

 **A/N: So, what do you think? Make sure to review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Collector

Chapter Five

 **Keeper Of Keys And Grounds.**

My first instinct was to grab Harry but my brother beat me too it, and he wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders. The booming had woken Dudley with a start and through the wooden ceiling above, I could see the outlines of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia vacate their bed. Suddenly, our aunt and uncle where stood at the bottom few of the stairs, Vernon holding a rifle in his hand which explains what had been in the long, thin package he had brought.

"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you – I'm armed!"

Then, in unison there was a smash and a rumble of thunder, the front door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and echoed a deafening crash landed flat on the stone floor. The outline of a giant figure squeezing his way into the hut. Dudley whimpered as the figure came more into the flickering light available, his face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of brown curly hair mixed in with a wildly tangled beard.

"Sorry about that." the figure spoke as he bent down and picked up the door, fitting it easily back into the frame. The figure – well man, if that is what he is – turns around and does a quick survey of the room, his eyes glisten like black beetles as they land on Harry and I.

"I must warn you sir! You are breaking and entering!" Uncle Vernon hissed. The giant figure stepped two steps across the stone floor to stand in front of the Dursley's, his face twisted in anger at the pompous man in front of him.

"Dry up, Dursley you great prune." he says sternly before grabbing the barrel of the gun and turning it upwards towards the ceiling. Everyone but the giant jumped at the sound of the gunshot that pierced a hole in the ceiling above. Uncle Vernon made a strange noise – almost like a mouse being trod on. The giant simply smirked before walking over to sit on the sofa. Harry and I had darted away from the floor by the sofa some time ago, standing by a set of cupboards that line up against the far wall of the hut.

"My word..." the giant mumbled to himself as he stared at me and my brother, standing beside each other hand in hand with, no fear but curiousness. "Las' time I saw the pain of you, you were only babies." said the man, "If I didn't know any better, I'd of thought you were your parents, except your eyes Harry, you've got your mums, but Grace, you look like like her."

The man got really quiet as he turned away from looking at Harry and myself. He then pulled a slightly squished box from the pocket of his black overcoat. "Got something for yous – I mighta sat on it at some point, but I'm sure it'll taste all the same."

He passed the box to me, I took it gratefully with trembling fingers, Harry helped open the top to see a large cake coated in pink icing and written in green icing was; _Happee Birthdae Harry and Grace._ I was shocked and I could tell my the look on Harry's face, he felt the same. It was our first birthday cake.

Harry looks from me to the cake, almost like he was trying to make sure I was seeing this as well. We didn't even know this man and he has already shown more interest and affection towards us than the eleven years combined with Petunia and Vernon.

"Excuse me, sir." I speak up handing Harry the cake as I watched the giant place himself down in the middle of the sofa, which sagged under his weight, the man turned to look at me, "Who are you?" I ask.

He let out a booming laugh, "Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." he introduced himself confidently, he leant towards a fire blocking all view and after a few moments, he leans back revealing a flickering fire, heat roared through Harry and my body. "Of course, you know all about Hogwarts." he smiled.

I furrowed my brows and turned to look at Harry who looked as equally confused as me, "Er – no." said Harry as I shook my head. Hagrid stared at us with such horror it was terrifying. "Sorry." we both said quickly.

"Did you never wonder where your parent's learnt it all?" asks Hagrid.

Overwhelmed with confusion, I stepped forwards towards the giant man with curiosity, "Learnt what?" I questioned. Harry stepped forwards but didn't stand level with me, Hagrid turned to face us completely with sympathy written all over his face.

"You're wizards." he whispers contently, "But you must know about your mum and dad, I mean, they're famous, you're _both_ famous."

"What?!" Harry and I exclaim.

Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, "Oh no, you dont know."

Dudley was pulling at the sleeve of his mothers night dress questioning that was happening whilst Harry and I stared bewilderedly at each other.

"You never told them!" Hagrid suddenly exploded, "Never told them what was in the letter we left you!"

What the hell is going on? Me and Harry, wizards? No way.

"I'm sorry, you must of made a mistake," Harry says, "We can't be wizards. We just Harry and Grace."

Hagrid chuckled lightly, "Well, _just_ Harry and Grace, did you ever make anything happen? Something you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared."

Gasping, I latch onto Harry's arm and whispered, "The snake."

"I think it's about time you read your letters." Hagrid says and pulled two yellowish envelopes, addressed in the same emerald green ink as before, the ink read the same aside from our names, _The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea._ With shaking hands, I open the envelope carefully not to break the wax seal, pulled out the letter and began to read:

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump,_

 _International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Miss Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment needed for first year. Term beings on September 1_ _st_ _, we look forward to meeting you soon._

 _Yours sincerey,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._

I read a few lined out in the open, and from the corner of my eye I could see Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon cringe with every word. Questions exploded inside my head and I could tell by the baffled look on Harry's face he was equally as wondering. Glancing over to his letter, they were both the same.

"They will not be going!" Uncle Vernon growled, "We swore when we took them in we would put a stop to all this rubbish. We swore we'd stamp it out of them!"

"You knew!" I suddenly shouted angrily, "You knew and you never told us!"

Aunt Petunia then shrieked, "Of course we knew! How could you not be, my sister being what she was. Oh, our parents were so proud the day she got her letter, we had a witch in the family," she laughed bitterly, "I was the only one who saw her for what she really was – a freak!" _Freak,_ that word stung deeply, Harry let out a muffled whimper whilst Hagrid gasped. "Then she met that Potter and had the pair of you and I knew you both would be just the same, just as strange, just as _abnormal_. And then she went and got herself blown up! And we got landed with the you two!"

Harry had gone white whilst I could feel myself growing redder with anger.

"Blown up?!" I yell.

"You told us our parents died in a car crash." Harry says quietly.

"A CAR CRASH!" Hagrid bellows, jumping up so angrily that Uncle Vernon scuttled up several steps, Dudley huddled behind Harry and myself in a small gap by the cake, "A car crash killed Lily an' James Potter! It's an outrage! Its a scandal!"

Uncle Vernon, despite shaking violently, stood his ground against the giant man, "They will not be going!"

Hagrid laughed, "And I suppose a great Muggle like yourself is going to stop him." he teased.

"Muggle?" I question.

"Non magic folk," the figure whispered to me, "Their names have been down ever since they were born! There going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry and they'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen, Albus Dumbledore."

"I AM NOT SENDING THEM TO SCHOOL WHERE SOME CRACK POT OLD FOOL WILL TEACH THEM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon until he was purple in the face. But he had finally gone too far.

Hagrid seized the umbrella he was carrying and pointed the end at our uncles face, "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me." the noise of something, almost slurping, caught my attention, Harry and I turned to see Dudley, his face buried in the box where our cake should be, his hands covered in icing. Then there was a flash of violent light, a sound like a firecracker followed by a shriek. Now Dudley was dancing around on the spot with one hand clasping his fat bottom. When Aunt Petunia finally pried his hands off, we all could see a pink, curly tail – a pigs tail poking through a hole in his trousers.

"Serves you right." I laugh as Harry erupted into giggles with caused Hagrid with smile warmly.

Then he leaned in, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone about that, see I'm not aloud to do magic." Without even thinking, Harry and I agreed. He pulled out a old, rusting looking watch and studied the face, "Oh, look at the time. We best be off."

Hagrid then turned for the door, pulling it at the top letting the entire thing fall to the ground with a crack. Harry and I stared at each other in confusion. Then the figure turned back to us, "Unless you'd rather stay."

Harry looked a little hesitant but I lunged forwards to grab my jumper slipping it on. I turned to Harry who looked at Petunia, her words beforehand where very hurtful and he was just glaring at her. Reaching out my hand, Harry took it and we stepped out into the bitter air **,** leaving the Dursley's behind.

* * *

 _A/N: This chapter is a lot more like the movie however it's a lot more of my own writing, I really hope you enjoy it and I know it's short. Please comment, favourite and follow._


	6. Chapter 6: London

Chapter Six

 **Where Everyone Knows Our Name.**

I awoke to a sharp peck on the tip of my index finger, my actions where hazy as I tried to figure out what was happening. Although I could tell it was daylight, I kept my eyes closed tight, afraid of what was going to welcome me when I opened them. _I dreamt a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was a witch and that I was to attend a school for witchcraft and wizardry,_ I thought to myself, the thought of me opening my eyes and being back in the cupboard under the stairs made my heart sink.

Nibble. Nibble. Peck.

"Ouch." I miss sitting bolt upright as warm blood began to trickery down my index finger. The heavy coat that was covering me fall off revealing the clear blue sky, my sudden movement causes a stir beside me as it turns out Harry had been huddled beneath the warm, heavy coat as well.

Without getting a further glimpse of my surroundings, I see a scrawny, ruffled brown owl sitting on a black leather edge in front of me. It's large orange eyes like size of saucers staring at me. It lets out a squawk that wakes Harry,

Wha?" he groans sleepily.

"There's an owl." I whisper as the birds eyes flicker between me and Harry. Sleepily, my brother laughs and just rolls over. That's when I realise we are actually sitting on leather seats, from the way we were bundled together, it couldn't of been designed for more than one however, the size of the personal designed for was the question. Despite being bundled, Harry and I had room to turn from side to side without inflicting with each others space.

I elbow Harry sharply. He lets out a 'oaf' noise before turning back over to stare at me with venomous eyes, Harry has never been one for enjoying being interrupted whilst sleeping. He groans and sits up, coming nose-to-nose (well, beak) with the owl that lets out another squawk. I see the bird has a letter clasped in its talons, I go to take it but the bird pecks my finger away and squawk.

"Hagrid?" I question, then realising I hadn't seen the over-sized man yet. Its then I realise me and Harry are outside beneath green leaved trees. The item Harry and I had spent the night in was actually the side-car of a rusting looking motorbike.

"Where the –?" Harry asked before giving a sign of relief, he nudged me before pointing over to a large oak tree, beneath at the roots was the giant laying, snoring with his mouth hanging open. Suddenly I felt unsure about this man looking after us, in fact I didn't even know where we were.

"Hagrid!" Harry and I yell together, the man spluttered awake before staring at me and my twin. It took a moment for his eyes to come into focus but then he notices the owl that has turned his head hundred-and-eighty-degrees to stare at Hagrid. The letter still clasped in it's claws.

"Oh!" he gasps before getting up as quickly as seemed possible, "Pay him." he orders us, I look at Harry confused before we begun to rummage through the deep pockets, however there seems to be nothing but pockets, filled with bunches of keys, balls of string, mint humbugs, tea-bags, rolls of parchment and quills... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. "Give him five Knuts." said Hagrid sleepily.

My brows furrowed, "Knuts?"

"Little bronze ones."

Harry looking through his handful and removed five bronze coins from the pile, the owl held out it's leg so I could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Once done, the owl dropped the letter into my lap and flew off through the trees into the blue sky. I handed the letter to Hagrid who smiled pleasantly as he took it off me, he ripped the envelop open and look out letter, he scanned over it carefully before grinning and putting the letter into one of the many pockets his jacket provided.

"Best be off, lots to do today." Hagrid informed us before seating on the motorbike which bent under the strain. He started up the engine.

"Hagrid... erm, where are we?" Harry asked.

Hagrid chuckled, "Not far from London, needed a place to sleep."

"You know that's what houses here built for." I reply a little sarcastically.

The giant huffed, "Yes well, I felt a night under the stars would be a first for you two." says Hagrid before revving the engine. I felt embarrassed because I was rude and Hagrid had our best intentions in mind. I decided not to question him anymore, Harry didn't share my decision.

"How did you get to the rock last night?" he asked loudly over the rumble of the engine, the thought had accrued to me as well, last night when Harry and I left with Hagrid last night there was no other boat but then again, as soon as Harry and I got outside, we seemed to fall asleep.

"Flew." Hagrid said breezily like it didn't matter.

" _Flew?_ " Harry and I both exclaimed.

Hagrid nodded, "Yeah – but we'll go to London in this. Not s'pposed to use magic now I've got yous."

The engine roared louder than before, he sped off with Harry and I clasping on the edge of the side-car. We drove for a while, Harry and I huddled under Hagrid's heavy coat because the wind was warm but rather sharp. It then became apparent that this was the only time Harry and I felt alone since the news of our magical inheritance. Suddenly, I clasped Harry's body in my arms as tightly as I could, thankfully he returned my love. I had literally a million questions I wanted to ask him but Harry didn't know the answers either. I'm not sure how long Harry and I stay hugging however we stayed there until the bike engine splatters to a stop.

"Out you two," Hagrid orders whipping off the coat, "Our train leaves in ten minutes."

"Train?" Harry asks.

Hagrid nods, "Couldn't drive this thing into London, it's dangerous and not permitted where we are going." The man begins to walk off towards the pale bricked building marked _TRAIN STATION._ We followed him, by-passers stare a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the station, I couldn't blame them, not only was Hagrid twice the size but he kept pointing at ordinary items such as cash machines. Turns out Hagrid doesn't understand 'Muggle money' as he called it, therefore he gave it to Harry and I to sort it out. More people on the train stared, Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting whilst Harry and I sat staring out the window, sometimes talking but our attention seemed distracted.

"Do you still have your letter?" I whisper.

He nods and pulls out the letter, I take it from him and remove a piece of paper I hadn't noticed the night before. It went through a list of uniform needed for Hogwarts, plain work robes, pointed hat, protective gloves and a winter cloak. There was a list of eight compulsory books that we needed, they all sounded amazing: History of Magic, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as well as The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. I gulp, _why do me and Harry need a book on self-protection from dark forces?_ I think, however I continue to read on about the other equipment me and Harry will require: a wand, a cauldron _(pewter, standard size 2),_ 1 set glass or crystal phials, a telescope and a set of brass scales.

"A wand?!" I hiss, maybe this all is real, but a wand, really?

Then in a small footnote, it clearly stated that students may being an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

"A pet?!" Harry questioned in shock. Then in large letters at the bottom of the letter was: _REMINDER TO PARENTS THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS._

 _Broomsticks?_ I thought, this is crazy, completely mad. Hagrid and I stare at our letters, rereading each paragraphs carefully. These items we must buy, but Harry and I have no money. I keep skimming over the pet section, I wonder where I can get one, let alone all of these items. Surely you can't buy these things on the streets of London?

"Can we buy all this in London?" I wondered aloud.

"If you know where to look." Hagrid winked as the train came to a hault.

* * *

Neither Harry or I had never been to London before, but Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, however he was obviously was not used to getting their in an ordinary way. He got stuck at the ticket barrier on the Underground and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow. Hagrid was so huge that the crowd parted easily for him; all Harry and I had to do was keep close behind him in order not to get lost. Out in the street we passed book shops, music stores, restaurants and cinemas but nowhere that appeared to sell magic wands or spell books.

If I knew the Dursleys have no sense of humour, I would of thought this was all a joke for mine and Harry's humiliation. Even though everything Hagrid had told us so far was so unbelievable, I couldn't help but feel I could trust him. Then, as I admire the narrow streets filled with _'ordinary people'_ Hagrid enjoyed calling them. We halted sharply.

"Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron." Hagrid announces before saying proudly, "It's famous."

The Leaky Cauldron was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. Hagrid steered us inside, for a famous place it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long, wooden pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the barman, who was bald but with a large beard. The small chatter stopped harshly when they walked in, everyone seemed to know Hagrid, they waved and smiled.

"The usual, Hagrid?" the barman asked.

"No, sorry Tom, on official Hogwarts business." Hagrid smiled, clapping his great big hands on Harry and my shoulders, "Young Harry and Grace here need to buy their school supplies."

The Leaky Cauldron suddenly became still, and I then feel like that snake in the reptile house, every pair of eyes turned to myself and Harry, studying us carefully we stand still, paralysed with fear. Suddenly, the barman hurried out from behind the bar, rushed towards Harry and myself, seizing my hand and shaking it forcefully.

"Bless my soul," he whispers to me, "Grace and Harry Potter... what an honour, truly." he tells me shaking Harry's hand. Neither of us knew what to say. Everyone was staring at us. The elderly women in the corner suddenly looked filled with life. One almost leapt from her seat to introduce herself.

"Doris Crockford, I can't believe I'm meeting you at last!" she flusters.

Hagrid laughed before finally pulling Harry and myself away from the crowd. However, one incredibly pale young man stepped into our line of movement, he was incredibly nervous with one eye twitching. "P-P-Potter Twins!" stammered the man, "C-Can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."

"Hello Professor!" Hagrid boomed, "Harry and Grace, this is Professor Quirrell, he'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Harry smiled warmly and sticks out his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Quirrell laughed almost repelling from Harry's waiting hand, "F-f-fascinating subject, n-not that you'll need it, e-e-h, Potters?"

"What do you –"

"We best be off!" Hagrid announces loudly interrupting me, he quickly grabbed Harry and I by the scruffs of our t-shirts, not in a aggressive way but to ensure we didn't get lost in the swarm of the people. Hagrid let us out the back of the pub inside a small, brick-walled courtyard where there was nothing but a few bins.

"Hagrid?" I ask, "Who are those people? And how do they all know us?"

The giant was looking at the wall straight in front of us, "I'm sorry but I don't think I'm the right person to tell you that." he apologises sincerely before studying the brick wall, then with the tip of his umbrella, Hagrid tapped the wall three times. The brick he had touched began to quiver, it wriggled and in the middle a small hole appeared. It grew wider and wider, a second later they were facing an archway large enough for Hagrid, an archway that lead onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "To Diagon Alley."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry it took so long to upload, I was writing one long chapter but it just seemed too long so I broke it down into two chapters. Please review, favourite and follow if you are enjoying, your feedback is much appreciated. Onwards, to Diagon Alley.**


	7. Chapter 7: Diagon Alley

Chapter Seven.

 **Shopping In Diagon Alley.**

My jaw dropped in amazement. I didn't even realise I had stepped through the archway until Hagrid touched my shoulder. It was like I was a magnet being pulled towards another, Diagon Alley was incredible, it was crowded with people in multicoloured robes, pointed hats and arms full of books. A large range of ages wander the streets from elderly people to children younger than me or Harry.

Once we'd all stepped through, I looked back at the archway but it was gone. The sun shone brightly on a stack of blackened cauldrons outside the nearest shop. There was a sign displaying sizes and materials in which the cauldrons where made from, including pewter which is the cauldron compulsory for first year.

Both Harry and I wished we had more eyes because our heads where whipping about in every direction imaginable as we walked up the streets, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping but also the signs written in beautiful handwriting, colour paint and ink.

A low, soft hoot catches my attention, the noise came from a dark shop with a sign saying _Eeylops Owl Emporium – Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy._ It was also advertised that the shop doesn't just sell owls, it also sells cats and snakes as well as bats. Whilst I was hypnotised by the animals, Harry was otherwise occupied by a broomstick – yes, a broomstick, I heard one boy not much older than me or my brother say, 'Look, the new Nimbus Two Thousand – fastest – ever –' Hagrid continued to walk us through Diagon Alley, there were shops selling robes, shop selling telescopes and strange silver instruments I'd never been before, there was windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, piles of spell books, quills and rolls of parchment, potion bottles and globes of the moon.

"Hagrid, how are we suppose to buy all of our things?" I ask, "We haven't got any money."

"Gringotts, the wizard bank," Hagrid says pointing to a snowy-white building which towered over the little shops. Gringotts was tilted at a odd angle, the entrance to the bank was polished golden doors. "There isn't any place safer." the giant claims as we enter into a vast marble hall, the floor was marbled with high ceiling with a beautiful crystal chandelier. At about hundred separate counters, ugly creatures sit scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining what looked like precious stones through eyeglasses.

"What are these things?" I whisper to Harry.

"Goblins, there nasty things, better stay close." Hagrid warns. There were so many doors acting as ways in and out of the hall, I see a few regular people come and go accompanied by goblins. We wander up to the counter that is being cared for by a scary goblin, despite it's tiny height, inside its mouth was needle like teeth and it's eyes were black and beady. "Mr and Miss Potter would like to make a withdraw."

The goblin hums in suspicious, he grabs the front of the desk revealing long talon-like nails, "Does Mr or Miss Potter have their key?" he questions staring at us in an intimidating manor. Hagrid then exclaimed quietly and began to empty his pockets on the desk, the goblin wrinkles his nose in disgust before finally, amongst the piles of items within Hagrid's pockets, he removes a tiny golden key.

"There's the little bugger," he says smiling happily to himself before handing the goblin the key who took is happily, he then pulled out a letter, sealed with the Hogwarts coat of arms but with TOP SECRET stamped in red across the front, "And I've also got a letter from Professor Dumbledore, it's about You-Know-What in vault You-Know-Which." whispered Hagrid, in a not very discreet voice but I assume its the thought that counts.

The goblin read the letter very carefully, "Very well," he said handing the letter back to Hagrid, "Griphook! Show Miss and Mr Potter to their vault."

Griphook was another goblin, who took us down a set of grand stairs to a small railway, there was a different contraption, it looked like a car just that the seats faced outwards and the drivers seat was goblin sized. "All aboard." the goblin announced, looking nervously at Harry, he climbed into the seat and gestured for me to join him. Taking a deep breath, I step onto the small footwell before sitting on the cold metal.

"Gringotts vaults go hundreds of miles beneath London," Hagrid informs us.

Then, without so much as a whistle from Griphook, the cart was off, hurling through a maze that presented itself of twisting passages. I tried to remember the way but it was impossible and the cart seemed to know its own way as Griphook wasn't steering, he was merely staring ahead. My eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but I kept them wide open as the cart plunged deeper into the caves, doors made from different colours, normally the same colour as the stone in which they are placed in. There was underground waterfalls and small patches of foliage. My stomach lunged and twisted with the sharp turns and sudden dips in the tracks, then the cart began to roll to a steady stop – thank god!

"Vault six hundred and eighty-seven." Griphook announced holding his arms up, Hagrid signed and picked the small goblin up and placed him on the uneven rock floor of the ledge outside the vault. "Lamp please," he required in a high-pitched voice, I handed him the lantern that was on the cart. Griphook took it gently from me before guiding us over to the vault door that was a dark green colour, almost black. "Key please." he then asked handing the lantern up to Hagrid who exchanged it for the golden key.

Griphook unlocked the door, a solid noise clicked and then then goblin ran the talon nail on his small index finger down a certain part of the door, another series of locks clicking to open echoed through the caves, a hissing noise followed by green smoke. Once it had cleared and Harry had stopped coughing, Griphook stepped aside and Harry and I peered into the vault.

It was dark like a save with only two lights shinning into two large tables, the light was illuminating mounds of gold coins, columns of silver and heaps of little bronze Knuts. Harry and I stand there memorized by – what I assume is – money.

"You didn't really think your parents would leave you with nothing did you?" Hagrid asked with a smile. I scoffed in sheer amazement, I thank our parents in a silent prayer. "Gold ones are Galleons, seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleons and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickles, it's easy enough to remember."

"Left pile is mine." Harry jokes.

I laugh as I watch Griphook go from one pile to another, taking exactly the same amount from each pile but putting them in separate bags. He handed me and Harry a bag each. "That should be enough for a couple of terms." Griphook says bluntly.

And then we left, with money that was actually mine in my hand was such an odd feeling, I almost didn't like it. If the Dursleys had found out that our parents had all of this money sorted from us, they'd have had it from us faster than blinking. Then I remember all the times Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had complained how much Harry and I cost for them to keep? And all this time, there had been a small fortune belonging to us, buried deep beneath London's streets.

We loaded back onto the cart and whisked back onto the tracks, rattling over an underground ravine, I leant forwards to see what was down at the dark bottom but Hagrid groaned and pulled me back by the scruff of my neck. The cart shuddered to a vault outside a vault marked seven-hundred and thirteen, which unlike mine and Harry's vault, had no keyhole.

"Stand back." Griphook ordered importantly and he – like our vault – stroked the door and it opened with a high pitched screech which reminded me of when Dudley scraped his fork along his plate at dinner. Something extraordinary must be inside this top security vault as Griphook explained that he and one other member of staff had access to this vault, anyone else would have been sucked through the door and sealed inside, Griphook also thought it was nice to add that they check the vault for people sealed inside but only once every ten days.

I was certain to see a vault filled with jewels, diamonds and perhaps emeralds but I was mistaken and very disappointed when all I could see was a grubby little package wrapped in brown paper lying on a large table. Hagrid took one giant step into the room, snatched the item and tucked it deep inside one of his pockets.

"Don't mention this, to anyone, you hear?" Hagrid asked sternly, almost scarily.

Harry and I just nodded, but I was curious and by the look in Harry's eyes I could tell he was too. I wonder what is inside the package Hagrid is so desperate to conceal?

* * *

Shopping was exhausting and now Harry and I had money, Hagrid was giving no mercy in whipping us round the shops quicker than we had ever walked before. Within the space of an hour Harry and I had bought all of our books listened on the requirements sheet giving to us along with our acceptance letters. We had also picked up plain work robes, Harry's came in sizes small, medium or large whereas I had to stand and be fitted by a women who smelt like moulding cheese, thankfully hats and winter cloaks were sold in the same shop so we managed to buy all of those in bulk getting a rather nice discount for being new first-years. No one else gushed over me and Harry and it felt nice blending into the crowds were we, for once, felt normal.

Hagrid slipped back off to the Leaky Cauldron as the carts in Gringotts had made him feel ill. Harry and I didn't mind, we managed to pay for the rest of our school supplies, people gave us funny looks in the shop where we purchased our protective gloves, cauldrons, phials (glass), telescopes and bass scales. Soon it was becoming too much for Harry and I to carry all the bags and items, we were so relived when Hagrid showed up again pushing a large trolley. We loaded our items into the trolley and Hagrid insisted he pushed.

In the next shop, Harry and I bought trunks which we had only seen in old films but unlike the films, these trunks where beautifully crafted and pressed with the Hogwarts coat of arms. We made pit stop and transferred all of the bags to the trunks.

"Now, you two head off to Mr Ollivanders, the best wander maker ever, I've got something to do so I'll pop in when yous are finished." Hagrid smiled, Harry and I looked nervously at him but he simply pointed us in the direction of the shop and left.

The shop was narrow and shabby with gold letters over the door read _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC._ As we stepped inside, a thick bell rang somewhere in the shop, the foray was small and a rotting desk sat no more than four meters from the front door, from then on was bookcase and bookcases of thousands of small boxes stacked neatly on large shelves. A thick lump blocked my throat and I was almost ready to leave then the noise of a rolling echoed through the shop and a elderly man on a moveable ladder appeared at the edge of one of the nearest shelves. He peered at his with his blue eyes hidden by white wispy locks. And then he smiled warmly.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you two." He grinned before coming down from the ladder to greet us, he shook our hands transferring dust from his palm to ours. "My word, Grace if it wasn't for your scar I would of mistaken you for your mother. And Harry, you look just like your father, except your eyes of course, they are your mothers."

"You knew our parents?" I ask.

Ollivander nods, "It only seemed like yesterday they were in here buying their first wands." the old man hums, "Your mother had a lovely wand for charm work, ten and a quarter inches, long, swishy and made of willow. James – your father – had a different wand, mahogany wood, eleven inches, a little more power and excellent for transfiguration."

Suddenly, Mr Ollivander's hand moved quicker than anything I'd seen before, the elderly man swept a piece of Harry's fringe away from his forehead revealing the lightening-bolt scar. Ollivander's misted eyes flicker between myself and my twin. The wand shop owner studies our faces and body language carefully before stepping backwards, "Now, ladies first." he says pointing to myself before turning swiftly to the cases and cases of boxes.

He reappears from around a corner holding a black, rectangular box. He rests it on the desk and removes the lid revealing a beautiful wooden wand which faded to back at the handle. Ollivander hands it to me, I grip the handle, I'm not sure what we expected to happen but nothing was, I looked up at the man who stared at me in confusion. "Well, give it a wave." he orders. I do aiming it towards a vase of dying flowers, the glass shattered making us all jump. "Defiantly not," Mr Ollivander mumbled to himself before wandering off to another case of wands, I watched him select another box. He looked worried for a moment as he studied the box.

"Try this one," he says handing me the wand, this one was far more interesting than the previous want, it was made of dark wood with a crafted handle. There was a small tint of blue at the tip and base of the wand with small details that appeared to be vines. As soon as I took the wand in my trembling hand, I felt a sudden warmth in my fingers and my hand became steady. What should I? Wave it? I look over at Ollivander, who just nods in approval.

I waved the wand through the dusty air, simultaneously: there was a crack and soft stream of dark blue light and silver sparks shot from the end like a firework. Harry and I both yelped but Mr Ollivander clapped loudly, "Bravo! But interesting..." he then mumbled to himself.

"Interesting how?" I question.

Mr Ollivander took the wand off me, re-boxed it and wrapped a gold ribbon around it. "Ebony wood, ten ½ inches and the core is the tail-hair of a Thestral. Very powerful wand, good for charms and the dark arts." He informs me, Harry looked at me very nervously, "Now, Mr Potter, its your turn."

Harry's eyes flickered nervously between me and Mr Ollivander but I smiled warmly at him. Harry stood in front of the desk where I had previously been stood, I stood by the window gently tracing the golden letters on the black box. I had a wand, a actual magic wand. Like myself, it took Harry a wand or two that wasn't right for him before Ollivander handed him a wand that was larger than mine but not by much and a lighter shade of wood. The moment he grabbed the wands handle, he seemed to light up and a gust of wind, whose origin was unknown, ruffled his hair.

"Curious... very curious..." Mr Ollivander began to mumble to himself, removing the wand from Harry's grip before running it through his own finger, examining it closely. Harry and I stared at him in confusion.

I stepped forwards lightly, "What's curious?" I ask.

Ollivander fixed a pale stare at us as we stood side-by-side. "I remember every wand I've ever sold. The phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, Mr Potter, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious that you should be destined for this wand, when it's brother, gave you those scars." He said pointing at our faces.

The lump in my throat grew, "Who owns that wand?" I question.

Mr Ollivander shook his head and gave me a cold look, "We do not speak his name." he warned, "The wand chooses the wizard or witch, it's not always clear why but from the wands that have chosen you two, I except great things."

We paid for our wands and left the shop feeling like a heavy cloud was hanging over us. Heading back to the Leaky Cauldron, we see Hagrid seated at a long table by the fire place with our trolley which holds Harry and my trunk. However, there were two new additions to the pile of items we had bought, a metal cage and a carry-box.

"Hagrid, what are those?" I ask pointing to the items, Hagrid just smiled and pushed the carry-box over to me, I peeked inside the wooden front to see a beautiful Bengal kitten, it purred furiously at the sight of me. I turn to see Harry who was gushing over a stunning Snowy Owl.

"Happy birthday." Hagrid gleamed at us as we gushed over our new pets. Harry and I lunged to hug Hagrid thank you. However, no matter how happy Harry and I were to see we actually had a pet to take to Hogwarts, the words that Ollivander had said to us was still looming over my head and I could tell by Harry's facial expression, it was worrying him as well, even more so, the wand that gave us these scars was brothers with Harry's. What does that mean for him and me?

"Are you two okay?" Hagrid asked once we'd seated down to eat, "You're very quiet."

I signed heavily before looking over at Harry who looked like he wasn't going to speak, so I did, "He killed our parents, didn't he? The one who gave us our scars." I say to Hagrid whose happy eyes plummeted. "You know Hagrid, we know you do."

It was Hagrid time to sign, he pushed away his food and leaned back so he had both of us in his vision, "First: you need to understand this, Grace, and you too Harry because it's very important, not all wizards are good." he says in a low voice, poking the hard oak table with his index finger, "Some of them go bad, and not long ago, there was a wizard who went as bad as you can go. And his name was V-v..." Hagrid signed as if speaking this name was actually doing him physical harm, "His name was V-v-v..."

"Maybe if you wrote it down." Harry suggested.

Hagrid shook his head, "No, I can't spell it, all right – " then he took the deepest and most cleansing breath he could manage before releasing it slowly, "His name was Voldemort." Hagrid's voice was so hushed I almost didn't hear the name.

"Voldemort?!" Harry and I exclaimed in unison as if saying the name was no big deal, but Hagrid cringed as the name escaped our lips. How could he be so scared of a name? I mean, it is only a name after all.

"Hush!" Hagrid almost wails, Harry and I look around to see if anyone had heard us but the Leaky Cauldron was close to empty, aside from the barman. Hagrid leant in prompting Harry and I to lean in as well, "It was dark times, very dark times. Voldemort started to gather some followers, brought them over to the dark side. Anyone who stood up against him ended up dead." he tells us slowing making sure we were keeping up, then he signs with sadness, "Your parents fought against him, but no one lived after he decided to kill them. No body. Not one. Except you two."

"Us?" I ask in horror, "Voldemort tried to kill us?"

Hagrid nodded, "Yes, that isn't any ordinary cut on your faces. Those marks only come from being touched by a curse, and a evil curse at that."

"What happened to You-Know-Who?" Harry asked.

The giant shrugged, "Some say he died, rubbish in my opinion, I reckon he out there still, too tired to carry on." he mumbles, then slightly brighten us, "But one thing is for certain, something about you two stumped him that night, that's why you're both famous, that's why everyone knows your names." Hagrid almost smiled, "You're the twins that lived."

* * *

Hagrid walked us back to the train station and passed over our belongings. I wasn't sure how pleased the Dursley's will be when Harry and I return with no only trunks filled with items to do with magic but also our own pets. My Bengal of whom still needs a name.

"Blimey!" Hagrid exclaimed suddenly making me jump, "Is that the time?! So sorry but I best be off, Professor Dumbledore will be needing –" he patted his pocket before hesitating about what he was about to say, "He'll be needing to see me." he recovers nicely, he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out an envelope. "Yous tickets for Hogwarts Express, the train leaves at exactly eleven o'clock so get there early. All the other information is on your ticket, don't loose it and if the Dursleys are a problem, send me a letter with Harry's owl, she'll know where to find me."

"Thank you, Hagrid." I smile before hugging him, Harry does the same. And then we head off to the train that will take us back to the Dursleys and back to normality. The boring normal that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia will force as much upon us before we can escape.

Hagrid waves us off, Harry and I sit by the window so we can wave but as soon as the train begin to move, and all in the time span of a blink, Hagrid was gone.

* * *

 **A/N: Now, I need your help, Grace's cat needs a name, it's a boy so give me suggestions! Also, just to stir the pot, most Death-Eater wands are made of Ebony wood ;) Make sure you follow, favourite and review.**


	8. Chapter 8: King-Cross Station

Chapter Eight.

 **Platform Nine And Three-Quarters.**

The last month with the Dursleys was exactly how I imagined it to be – complete and utter hell. On our arrival home, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon went ballistic Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon went mad about our new pets however they seemed too terrified to take them from us so they agreed to allow us to keep them if they remained in our bedroom. Although to Harry and my surprise, Uncle Vernon had cleared Dudley's second bedroom of the unneeded items and replaced the single but with a bunk bed and presented it to us as our new bedroom.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't lock us in the bedroom – despite the four padlocks that had been securely on the outside of the door – but they didn't speak to us at all, half-terrified and half-furious, they acted as thought any chair that Harry and I sat in was empty. Dudley was furious about the giving-way of his second bedroom but he never argued about it to mine and Harry's face and he avoided us at all costs.

Harry and I kept to our room, Harry's owl swooped in and out of the window as she pleased, he decided to call her Hedwig, a name that he had found in _A History of Magic._ We had been reading our school books since we got back, they turned out to be very interesting. My Bengal kitten whom I named Milo, curls close to my body at all times. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to hoover anymore because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice for herself and Milo. For two creatures who are suppose to have natural instinct to hate each other, Milo and Hedwig were incredibly friendly to each other, some mornings I wake up to find them curled up together.

Every night before Harry and I slept, he would tick off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first. And on the last day of August, Harry and I discussed that we better speak to our aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so we adventured down to the living-room, where the Dursley's were watching a quiz show on television. I cleared my throat to let them know we were there and Dudley took one look at me, I stuck my tongue out at him which caused him to run from the room screaming.

"Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked nervously.

Not turning his head to us, he grunted to show he was listening.

"W- we need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to – to go to Hogwarts."

Uncle Vernon grunted again whilst Aunt Petunia cringed at the name of the school. Feeling we were safe, Harry and I stepped further into the living-room. There was a moment when our aunt flinched and our uncle shifted slightly in his chair but we tried to ignore them.

"Would it be all right if you gave us a lift?" I then asked slowly, Uncle Vernon grunted again therefore Harry and I took that as a yes, we mumbled our thanks but just as Harry and I were about to turn and leave, Uncle Vernon actually spoke.

"It's only because we're going up to London tomorrow, or I wouldn't bother." he snapped.

Curiosity bubbled inside us, "Why are you going up to London?" I question, trying to keep things friendly.

"Taking Dudley to a private hospital," growled Aunt Petunia, "He's got to have that tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

Harry's face almost cracks into a smile and before we both could burst into laughter, Harry and I thank Uncle Vernon once more before dashing upstairs, closing the door and laughing freely. Before bed, Harry and I sat together on the bottom bunk – which I claimed as mine – we had just finished looking through _A Beginner's Guide To Transfiguration_ , this sounded like the best class ever, it focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, animal or person.

* * *

The next morning, Harry awoke at five o'clock and felt no shame in waking me at the ungodly hour. He was so nervous he couldn't get back to sleep, I told him to try because there was no point in winding himself up over nerves. This was the first time Harry and I had our own beds, I planned to revel in the perfectness for a little while longer, and considering Harry was unable to keep his mind from wandering and his butt from moving, I told him to make sure we both had all the stuff we needed for Hogwarts.

Despite my hope to fall back asleep, Harry had too made me nervous therefore I was unable to rest. Signing heavily, I got up and put on some clothing Aunt Petunia had allowed for me to pack – we'd change into our robes on the train. Once Harry and I had triple checked that our trunks were packed with everything required and that Hedwig and Milo where safely secure in their cages, labelled with our names. Then we both continually paced our bedroom, waiting for the Dursleys to get up.

Two hours later, both our heavy trunks where loaded into Uncle Vernon's car, Aunt Petunia spend a while talking Dudley into sitting next to me and they had set off. They reached King's Cross at half past ten, Uncle Vernon removed our trunks from the boot of his car and placed them on two separate trolleys and pushed them inside whilst Harry and I carried our pets.

"What platform is your training leaving from?" Uncle Vernon questioned.

It suddenly accrued to Harry and I that we hadn't checked. From his jeans pocket, Harry pulled out the envelope Hagrid had handed him, he removed a flat golden ticket and scanned it quickly, "Platform nine and three-quarters." Harry said.

Uncle Vernon let out a sharp laugh, "There is no platform nine and three-quarters." He then let go of the trolleys with a nasty grin, "Have a nice term." he said evilly before turning sharply and without another word, he left. Me and Harry turned around to see the Dursley's driving off, all three laughing.

Suddenly, I felt sick, what on earth are we going to do? People were beginning to stare because of Hegwid. We walked quickly, pushing our trolleys in the direction of the busy platforms. We continued to draw attention as Hedwig squawked as the new surroundings confuse her. We followed the signs to platform nine and ten.

My mouth went dry and I was on the verge of panicking, what if I couldn't find the platform? Harry asked a passing guard where platform nine and three-quarters was, the guard just laughed before asking if we thought we were funny. I then went on to ask if there was a train leaving at eleven, the guard replied no before moving on mumbling about time-wasters.

"The train leaves in ten minutes!" Harry hisses.

I look around frantically, "It has to be around here somewhere! Maybe Hagrid forgot to tell us something."

I thought back to Diagon Alley, maybe we were suppose to enter the platform by tapping certain bricks on the wall. At that moment, a group of people passed just behind us and we caught the past few words of what they were saying.

"– packed with Muggles, of course –"

We both swung around, the speaker was a plump woman with faded orange hair, who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry and mine in front of them – and three of them had owls.

"Platform nine and three-quarters this way!" piped a small girl, who was also red-headed.

Like rockets, Harry and I bolted after them, what looked like the oldest of the boys marched forwards to the brick wall between to signs marking platform nine and ten. He didn't blink in case he'd of missed, but just as he reached the wall, a large crowd of people came swarming in front of him, and by the time the last person had cleared, the boy was gone. With a gasp, Harry and I kept watching.

"Fred, you next." the plump woman instructed softly.

"I'm not Fred, he is!" one twin exclaimed.

"Honestly woman you call yourself our mother," said the other boy.

The woman signed, "Sorry, George."

One of the identical boys stepped forwards, "I'm only joking, I am Fred." he laughed and off he went. His twin followed swiftly telling his brother to hurry up, and he must of done because a second later, they both had vanished through the wall – but how had they done it?

"Excuse me?" I call in desperation wheeling my trolley over to the plump woman who smiled warmly. "How – how do you –" I couldn't finish my sentence due to nerves but I gestured using my head towards the wall between platform nine and ten.

"How do get onto the platform?" she said kindly, Harry and I both nodded silently, she chuckled playfully, "Not to worry dear, it's Ron's first time to Hogwarts as well." the woman said about the last boy standing behind her, I turned to look at her son, he – like all of this siblings – had red hair, he was a little taller than Harry and I with gangling limbs, freckles spotting his face with a large nose. He smiled politely and I couldn't help but smile back. "All you have to do, is walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten, best to do it at a bit of a run if your nervous."

Harry and I nodded, "Thank you."

It was silently agreed that Harry would go first, from where we were, not far from the wall, Harry began to jog towards the wall that looked incredibly solid, I kept my eyes open so I could see for certain that what the woman was saying was real, and then he walked through the wall. I gasped.

Ron smiled and so did his mother, "I'm Molly Weasley," the plump woman introduced herself.

I smiled, "Grace Potter."

The woman's smile never faulted, "Well, go on dear, don't want to be late, the train waits for no one."

Exhaling carefully, I gripped the handle of my trolley before walking towards the wall, then after a few paces I broke into a heavy run – the barrier was coming nearer and nearer – I can't stop now – the trolley seemed to be pulling me towards the wall – wasn't far now – I closed my eyes ready for the crash...

"Grace!" a voice called my name. I opened my eyes to see Harry standing with me on a wide platform pointing to a scarlet steam engine that was waiting on the tracks next to a platform packet with people. On the front of the train read _Hogwarts Express_ and a heavy sign hung overhead reading, _Platform Nine and Three-Quarters._

We had done it!

We made it!

* * *

 **A/N: Getting closer and closer to Hogwarts! I called Grace's cat Milo because I thought it was adorable and my little brother suggested it. Now, what will happen on the train I wonder... Please review, follow and favourite, I really enjoy reading your feed back!**


	9. Chapter 9: Hogwarts Express

Chapter Nine.

 **The Train Journey.**

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, whilst cats of every colour and breed wandered around between our legs. Milo purred wanting to be let out but I refused, I didn't want to loose him before we'd boarded the train. Owls hooted to each other happily, Hedwig joined in.

The first few carriages were already packed with student, some wearing their school robes whilst others remained in normal clothing. Some were hanging out the windows talking to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry and I pushed our way down towards the end of the train where all the compartments were empty, we passed a round faced boy who was complaining about loosing a toad. His brother, or I assume his brother by the similarities they shared, was looking around on his hands and knees.

Once we were down by the end of the train, we opened the door that lead into a thin corridor, big enough for two people to walk past, we chose the compartment to the right, I opened the door and Harry passed me Hedwig and Milo's cages, I put them in the compartment first before going back out to try and help Harry put our trunks in but it was no good, they were too heavy.

"Want a hand?" a familiar voice asked, I turned around to see one of the red-haired twins, who we'd watched go through the wall.

"Yes please." I said, the twin smiled.

"Oi! Fred get over here!" he yelled, meaning that this twin was George.

Fred – the other Weasley Twin – jogged over to help without question, its only then I try to figure out how these twins differ, trying to find different ways to tell them apart. George is slightly taller then Fred however Fred's eyes are a slightly darker colour than George.

The twins put our trunks into the overhead shelves, when they had done, there foreheads where dampened with sweat. It was then when Fred turned around to look me square in the face his eyes dropped to the scar on my cheek.

"Are you –?" he whispered.

I remained silently as George and Harry spoke.

" _Grace Potter_ ," he whispered again with slight excitement in his voice. I gulped but before I could speak asking him to to say anything, he'd already smiled fondly, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me for now."

"Thank you." I say, making it appear as if I was thanking him for hauling my trunk into the shelf, I knew eventually people would know who Harry and I were but I'd like to ease into it, not be suddenly thrown into the deep end.

"Come on, George, lets go say goodbye to mum and Ginny." Fred said, George nodded and said goodbye to us, no doubt we will see them at school anyway. Harry and I slid the compartment door close and took our seat on the comfortable benches provided. I let Milo out and he stretched thankfully. Hedwig remained in her cage on the shelf as she couldn't fly about but we opened the door giving her the option.

The trains whistle sounded before a large hiss, from the window of the corridor I watched the station disappear, houses flashed past the window. I felt a leap of excitement spark in my heart but nerves hung heavily in my stomach like a lead weight. Harry grinned at me, showing the same nervous yet excited expression I had. We didn't know what was in store for us, but it had to be better than what we were leaving behind.

Not long after the train had left the station, the compartment door slid open and the youngest red-haired boy enters. And just as he does, Milo leaps off my lap and exits the compartment.

"Oh no!" I exclaim pushing the book off my lap and sprinting after my kitten. Milo is a lot faster than I could of imagined because he bolts off down the train corridor. Student of different ages crowd the corridors. "Excuse me," I say pushing my way through, pushing my hair behind my ears I had unknowingly revealed my scar and several students pointed and mumbled to their friends.

"Milo!" I call.

A boy actually turned around, he was probably fifteen with dark hair and brown eyes, wearing robes with a badge sewn onto his left breast. The badge had a blue background, a silver helmet from an old suit of armour on top with blue decorations and a golden outline with black raven in the center with a golden banner across the bottom saying _Ravenclaw._ "Yes?"

"Oh, sorry, that's the name of my cat." I laugh, thankfully he does too.

He then points to my scar, "Oh my... your –"

"Bye!" I say loudly before darting off down the corridor in search of my kitten. Eventually I find him down the other end of the train, he was playing with another kitten about the same age, this cat was jet black with large emerald eyes.

"Milo," I sign heavily, he purrs around my ankles, I scoop him up carefully in my hand and he nuzzles into the crook of my neck. I stroked him gently as the cat on the floor stared up at me with its large eyes.

A male voice then called the name, "Jester!" throughout the train, the black cat gave me one last glance and purred in the direction of Milo before strolling off elegantly through the crowd towards the caller. I let out a sign of relief as for a moment I thought the cat – Jester – was going to claw at my ankles.

Turning swiftly, I walked straight into a person, a boy who by the looks of it was the same age as me, he had slick blonde hair and bright blue eyes with pale skin. He was accompanied by two large boys who were the same age.

"Watch out." the blonde boy spat pushing my aside.

"Idiot," I mumble about to stork off in the opposite direction when I hear female laughter.

"You got that right," a girl said, she stepped beside me, she had a mane of frizzy brown hair with a evenly cut fringe, she had nice hazel coloured eyes with large front teeth. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"I'm Grace." I reply.

Hermione grins, "Ah, I didn't believe the rumours that the Potter Twins where here, but now I do." she says with a little chuckle, I couldn't help but laugh slightly as well, "I don't suppose you've seen a toad? A boy called Neville has lost one."

I shake my head, "No sorry, you could come ask my brother." I suggest, she nods and we head back to the compartment where Ron and Harry were sat on the left-hand bench at either end with a large pile of what looked like different types of sweets along with empty wrappers. On Ron's lap was a ugly brown rat with its head stuck in a sweet box, he had his wand in his hand when we entered.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville has lost one." she asks politely but with an underlining tone of bossiness. Harry and Ron shook their heads, Hermione signed heavily, I went and took a seat opposite Harry who offered me what appeared to look like a jelly bean, putting it in my mouth and chewing I realised that the sweet tasted like vomit, I spat it out in my hand as the boys laughed, "Are you about to do magic?" Hermione asks Ron who hadn't put his wand away, the red-haired boy nods, "Lets see then."

Ron looked nervous for a second but then cleared his throat, "Sunshine, daises, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow." He waved his wand, but nothing happened, except a spark that's yellow inside the sweet box that flew off the rats head, however the rat remained a dull brown colour.

I laughed in good humour, Hermione however looked at Ron in confusion, "Are you sure that's a real spell?" she said, Ron went to reply but she spoke before he even had the chance, "Well, it's not very good, it is? I've tried a few simple spells for practise and they've all worked for me – I'm Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley." said Ron through a mouthful of what looked like sandwich.

"Pleasure." Hermione replied. She then looked at Harry, her eyes hovered over the sellotape, she pulled out her wand, it was a light brown with long vines made of wood, there was also small flowers. She stood in front of Harry and pointed her wand in his face, I stand up protectively, "Don't worry, it's a simply spell to fix glasses," she says, I sit back down but on the edge of my seat ready to jump in if needed, "Oculus Reparo." says Hermione confidently, the sellotape around the middle of Harry's glasses removed itself to reveal a fresh new joint in his glasses.

"Wow." I mumble.

"Thanks." Harry says removing his glasses to examine the unbroken middle, revealing his scar.

"Oh Grace, this is your brother!" Hermione grins, "Hello Harry."

Looking confused, Harry but smiled nonetheless. Hermione turns swiftly on her heels, she slid the compartment door open, I clasped onto Milo to ensure he didn't run off again, "You've got dirty on your nose by the way," she informs Ron rudely, he rubs his nose where the dirt is, "And you all should change into your robes, I suspect we should be arriving soon."

And then she left. Ron looked at me, I looked at Harry and Harry looked at Ron and almost in unison, we all burst out laughing, Hermione was certainly interesting and I actually really liked her but her bossy personality was something else entirely. We ignored Hermione's advice and Ron spent a solid fifteen minutes educating us on wizard sweets, there was: Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands and so many more that I couldn't think of.

"What are these?" I ask Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs, "They aren't real frogs are they?" It wouldn't surprise me if they were. It was getting to a stage where I felt nothing could anymore.

"No, it's just a spell, each pack has a card with a famous witch or wizard," Ron explained.

I unwrapped my Chocolate Frog, the frog croaked, it wasn't alive but it certainly moved like it was, I wasn't quick enough to grab the sweet before it had crawled up the window and jumped. I signed heavily in disappointment, I turned over the box to see that the card I'd been give was Dumbledore, the card came with a paragraph of information;

 _Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts._

 _Considered by many to be the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for: his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel._

 _Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling._

I turned the card back other to look at Dumbledore again, but to my astonishment, Dumbledore's face had disappeared. "He's gone!" I gasp.

Ron laughed, "You can't expect him to hang around all day, can you?" he asked.

With confusion, I put the Chocolate Frog card on the seat as I stand up and access my trunk pulling out my white blouse, black skirt and tights with my long black robes. plain black tie that was sold along with first year uniforms and sensible school shoes. I leave the compartment so the boys could change into their robs, I found a female toilet and changed quickly before walking back to the compartment and waiting outside until the boys had finished changing, in the meantime, I stared out of the windows as I stood in the corridor, I could see mountains and forests under a deep-purple key and the train did seem to be slowing down.

A few minutes later, the blinds on the compartment windows opened and I was allowed to enter, just as I close Milo securely into his cage, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes, please leave your luggage – including animals – on the train as it will all be taken to the school separately."

Harry, Ron and I all went pale and no doubt all of our stomachs lurched with nerves. This was it, our new life. Ron and Harry crammed their pockets with the left over sweets, Ron offered me a few and I took them gratefully, then we all joined the crowd within the corridor.

The train slowed right down and then finally stopped. People pushed their way towards the door and out on to the black platform. We all shivered in the cold night air, then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students and a calming feeling came over me as a familiar voice began calling: "Firs'–years! Firs'–years follow me!" he yelled, a swarm of first years began crowding before Hagrid, I began feeling like a sardine in a can.

"Follow me!" he instructs before walking off. Every first year followed in a sort of rush of excitement and nerves, we slipped and slid as we followed Hagrid down a steep and narrow path. It was so dark either side of the pathway there had to be trees. Then suddenly, the narrow path had opened into a black lake.

* * *

 **A/N: I know this is a short chapter, but I felt it was necessary, p.s the next chapter will be very short as well, please view, follow and favourite!**


	10. Chapter 10: First Glimpse

Chapter Ten.

 **Boat Ride.**

Perched atop a high mountain on the other side of the black water, it's windows sparkling with life in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Hagrid explained no more than four to a boat, Hermione asked if she could join us, despite Harry and Ron scowling looks, I agreed and we all perched in a small wooden boat.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, he gave all the boats a quick skim which didn't feel me with much confidence, he then nodded to himself before shouting louder than before, "FOWARD!" And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake which was as smooth as glass.

The castle was amazing and I'm certain I was staring with my mouth hanging open but I didn't care, the moonlight shone on the beautiful caste, illuminating it's creepy appearance while hanging lantern lit the parts of the outside, no doubt doors and pathways. Ever other first year was silent as we all took in our first sight of Hogwarts.

As we sailed closer and closer the castle towered over us towards the cliff on which it stood. Hagrid yelled for us to mind our heads, we didn't understand why until the people in the first few boats were hit my hanging ivy that formed a curtain over an entrance in the cliff. The boats then realised that bending our heads down was a good idea and we all entered into a dark tunnel which seemed to be taking us under the castle itself. Soon, we reach a underground harbour where we all clambered out, helping each other ensuring we didn't slip on wet rock.

Hagrid ensured quickly he had all the first years, briefly making sure no one had fallen in before he guided us up some stone steps that led up onto smooth, fresh grass right in the shadow of the castle. We reached a set of large oak doors. Hagrid raised his gigantic fist and knocked, loud and clear, three times on the castle door.

* * *

 **A/N: Another short chapter, I apologise but the next chapter is the Sorting Hat so please make sure you read it!**


	11. Chapter 11: Where To Put You?

Chapter Eleven.

 **The Sorting Hat.**

The oak door swung open revealing a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes. Her face was very stern and my first thought was this was someone not to cross. Harry gripped onto my hand in nerves, he did this a lot when he was afraid but truthfully I was just glad he was feeling the same as me.

"Follow me." she ordered before turning swiftly.

We all scuttled after her into the Entrance Hall, which was so large you could fit the Dursley's house in it. The stone walls where lit with flaming torches and the ceiling was too high to make out and to our right was a magnificent stone stair-case leading to upper floors. We followed the witch into a small chamber off the hall. We all crowded in, standing rather close together than we all would of usually done. We all could hear the rest of the schools voices chattering away, they all must already be in the Great Hall.

I suddenly feel even sicker, and looking over to Hermione on my right, I was glad to see she was a little paler than beforehand. I nudged her, in an attempt to comfort her but it didn't work and I only scared myself a little more.

The witch who had guided us to the small room, cleared her throat loudly to get our attention and waited until all the first-years to settle down before speaking. "Welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Professor McGonagall and in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family, you have lessons with other members of your house, sleep in the dormitory of your house and spend free time in your house common room." Professor McGonagall explained giving the room a quick glance over, "Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup."

There is chatter amongst the first-years but I remain silently trying to take in what McGonagall had said, so there was a chance Harry and I won't be sorted into the same house? My stomach felt heavy like someone had placed a weight in it.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily." Professor McGonagall said, "I suggest you smarten yourselves up and prepare, I will return when we are ready for you." And then she disappeared out of the room leaving everyone to suddenly perk up and speak all at once, Harry and Ron gushed over the houses and Harry and I had no idea, Ron explained that Gryffindor was the best, another first-year interrupted saying that Ravenclaw was the best. Truthfully, I just wanted to be in the same house as Harry, I don't even know what the houses represent.

"What do the houses mean?" I ask Hermione.

She grins widely like she had been waiting for the chance to tell someone, "Well, Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry. Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair values intelligence, knowledge, and wit. And Slytherin, values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness." she speaks so quickly it takes ever cell in my brain to accept the information she was practically throwing at me, "I'm probably going to be put in Ravenclaw."

Gryffindor sounded like the most popular house judging by the excited whispers. Ron tells us that his entire family has been in Gryffindor. Thinking about what Hermione said, surely she'll be in Ravenclaw, as they value intelligence and knowledge. I wasn't sure if I fitted in with any of the houses.

I just nod, unknowing what to say. Looking around quickly, I see a number of students sorting out their ties, either tightening them or readjusting. We had been given black ties with the Hogwarts coat of arms on them, Hermione then goes on to explain these are only temporary until we are sorted into our houses. Much like the coat of arms on our cloaks, Milo – not my coat, the boy on the train – had a different badge, one with a raven on it.

Harry turns to smile at me, and for a split moment, the hair that was draped over my face moved and my twins scar was revealed.

"So, it's true then, what they were saying on the train." a voice piped up, the voice was male and confident, everyone turned to look at the speaker who was the boy I had bumped into on the train. He had gentle facial features with natural bleach blonde hair and blue eyes, his teeth were straight and white, "The Potter Twins have come to Hogwarts."

" _The Potter Twins!"_ several voices gasped.

"Grace Potter!" One boy gasped whilst a girl shrieked, "Harry Potter!"

The blonde boy stepped through the crowd which seemed to have partnered, "This is Crabbe and Goyle," he said gesturing to the two large boys who had also been accompanying him on the train, "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron let out muffled chuckle, Draco's head snapped quickly in his direction, "You think my name is funny, do you?" He practically spat at Ron, "No need to ask for yours, red hair and a hand-me-down robe, you must be a Weasley."

Ron's face prickled with hurt, I stepped in front almost knocking Draco backwards but Harry gripped a hold of my wrist before I could hit him, cheeky little git. Fighting has never been an issue for me, growing up with Dudley as a cousin you soon learn to defend yourself.

"You'll soon learn that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter." he said, Ron scoffed again making Draco increasingly anger, the blondes eyes then flickered to me, he looked as if he might of smiled if other people weren't around to witness it, "You don't want to be making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you make friends with the right ones." he declared before holding out his hand for my brother to shake.

Harry – like me – just stared at him with our eyes we had been practising for ages, Harry and I had this ability to express how much we didn't care through one simple look, "I think we can figure out the wrong sort for ourselves." Harry said.

Draco's eyes flickered over to me again, I put on a half smile that appeared very sarcastic, "Yeah and we've already figured out the wrong sort." I reply, I'm not sure what emotion flickered through Malfoy's eyes but it was close to hurt.

A long roll of parchment hit Draco on the shoulder, McGonagall gave him a cold look before he moved away rejoining Crabbe and Goyle, "We are ready for you." she announces before turning on her heels once again, Hermione stuck to my side with Ron and Harry in front of us, we were removed from the chamber and back into the Entrance Hall, now all that stood in our way was a set of huge, golden doors which as Professor McGonagall approached, opened revealing the Great Hall.

I was suddenly overwhelmed by what I was seeing, I could imagine – not even in my wildest dreams – something so strange yet splendid. Thousands and thousands of candles lit the Great Hall but they were all floating mid-air. Five long tables, four on the main floor of the hall and one elevated along the far wall for the teachers, each long table was decorated with golden goblets and plates.

Professor McGonagall led all the first-years down the small runway, two tables where placed either side. We approached a small stage area at the front just below the staff table. Every face in the hall had turned to study the fresh meat now entering their school, in order to avoid all the eyes staring, I looked up expecting to be greeted by the pale stone of the Great Hall's ceiling but instead their was a velvet black sky dotted with stars. I heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the night sky, I read about in _Hogwarts: A History."_

In front of us, was a rickety looking wooden stool. On top of the stool was a pointed, brown leathered hat, patches of it were frayed and extremely dirt. Aunt Petunia wouldn't of allowed it in the house, let alone on mine and Harry's hat, which I assumed is going to happen, either that or we were going to try pull a rabbit out of it.

"Now, when I call your name, you will step forward, take a seat and I will place the hat on your head and you will be seated into your houses." Professor McGonagall explained clearly before releasing the roll of parchment so it fell open.

"All we have to do is try on the hat?!" Ron says with a sign of relief, "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

I smiled weakly, yes trying on the hat is much better than having to do a spell or wrestling a troll, but I wish that we could try on the hat without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; I didn't feel brave or quick-witted. If only McGonagall had mentioned their was a house for people who didn't know what or who they really were.

"Demi Jones!" Professor McGonagall called, a tanned girl with wavy brown hair stepped forwards, took a seat on the stool, McGonagall placed the dirty hat on the girls head which falls over her eyes and after a moments pause –

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted.

The table on the right against the wall, cheered and clapped, Demi jumped off the stool with a smile and several of the members stood up to shake the hand of the first new arrival. 'Anthony Skinner' also went to Ravenclaw. But a girl named 'Lavender Brown' became the first new Gryffindor and the table next to Ravenclaw which was the table on the right side of the walkway exploded into with cheers; I could see Fred and George cheering louder than anyone, standing on their feet clapping.

I look around to see that each table had different coloured ties, Ravenclaw had blue and white stripped ties, Gryffindor had maroon and gold, Slytherin had green and silver and by default, the table no one yet has been sorted into yet, Hufflepuff had yellow and black.

"Hermione Granger." Professor McGonagall called.

Suddenly, Hermione looked nervous, she whispered words of encouragement to herself as he walks up the steps to the stool where she hops on, McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. It took a little while as the hat appeared to be talking to her, making a decision. Then it yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione practically sprinted over to the table where everyone was screaming and clapping. Fred and George, once again where on their feet. She shook hands with one of the Weasley brothers. He looked like the eldest. Percy did his mother call him?

Anyway, as soon as the cheers from the Gryffindor table had quietened down, "Draco Malfoy." Professor McGonagall called, the hall went silent as the slick, blonde-haired boy stepped forward and took a seat on the wooden stool, Professor began to place the hat on his head, the Sorting Hat twitches, clearly realising whose head he was about to be placed upon and the surface of the hat had barely touched Draco's head before it yelled –

"SLYTHERIN!"

From the other tables were was a few gasps but the Slytherin table that was the table on the far left, cheered loudly. Ron turned swiftly to Harry and I with a little bit of fear in his eyes. "There's not a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin." he tells us.

Both Neville and his twin Tracey were both sorted into Gryffindor. And when Ron was called, he went from pale to green very quickly but nonetheless, he found the courage to sit on the stool and seconds later the hat shouts, "GRYFFINDOR!"

There aren't many people left, 'Moon'... 'Nott'... 'Parkinson'... another pair of girl twins named 'Patil'... and 'Diggory'. And now it was just Harry, myself and a dark skinned boy. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat once again to silence the hall.

"Harry Potter." she then announced. Harry turned to look at me, I gave him a smile that I know calms him down, he grips my hand one last time before he walks up the steps to the stool. I could hear hundreds of voices mumbling:

" _Potter,_ did she say!?"

" _The_ Harry Potter?"

"Are they both here?"

I watched as the hat dipped over his ears, my brothers eyes flickered to mine, I turn to look at Ron and Hermione who looked as if they were crossing their fingers. Harry gripped the edge of the stool and my heart lunged, what was happening? Was he okay? Then, as my ears buzz, I hear a loud yell –

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry's face literally lights up with happiness, the cheers from the Gryffindor table were the loudest they had been this evening. The Weasley twins where yelling "We've got Harry" We've got Harry!" Hagrid gave him the thumbs up whilst Percy and other first-years shake the hand of Harry like he was a god. And now it was just me and this other boy.

Harry, Ron and Hermione have all been sorted into the same noble house that everyone seemed to want to be a part of, and I, was no exception seeing how happy the Gryffindor table appeared to be compared to the others – I hadn't seen Harry smile so much in a long time, in fact, never have I seen him smile like this: he is happy.

"Grace Potter." called Professor McGonagall.

The hall went silent again, a few mumbles echoed from the tables behind me and the teachers that sat on the High Table long the back went ridged. Walking up the steps to the stool where the Sorting Hat sits happily humming to itself – himself.

McGonagall removes the hat from the stool allowing me to sit down comfortably, facing the entire student-body of Hogwarts, every pair of eyes is on me, burning varies holes into my body. My hands sweat furiously as the hat is placed on my head, it wiggles down onto the crown of my skull covering my ears and just sat stationary for a while humming happily before eventually, settling down.

"Ah, another Potter, hmm..." it says, I can almost feel the hat smiling, "Not like your brother are you? Brave, yes. Loyal, yes. But you, Miss Potter are also cunning and sly." The entire hall seems to have leaned in to try and hear what the hat was saying, "Now, where to put you..." it continued, "Would you like to be with your brother? Is that wise?" Harry's eyes were super-glued on me, as were Ron and Hermione's. The hat laughs, "You would be great in Gryffindor but I sense, deep down you want to create your own path, be a different person than the stories create..."

The hat was correct, in a sense, I didn't start Hogwarts being a no-one, I was "Grace Potter – The Girl Who Lived". Maybe I wanted to be different than what the stories made up.

"You've got a good mind, talented but cunning as well... hmm, better be – SLYTHERIN!"

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, he's a Gryffindor and she's a Slytherin. Don't hate me, but if you do, remember to review, favourite and follow because things could get real complicated between the twins now they are in houses that hate each other, not to mention Draco being close to Grace ;) REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Slytherins

Chapter Twelve.

 **Common Room.**

I heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. My heart leapt to my throat as a collective gasp echoed throughout the Great Hall. Harry had gone ghostly white, then I realised his tie had turned from the boring black first-years tie to a strong maroon based with golden strips (one thin and two thick) sitting diagonally across the fabric.

Suddenly, I hear the roaring sound of applause burst free from the Slytherin table. McGonagall takes the hat off my head – rather shakily – and allows me to walk over, weak legged to the far left table to join my new house. Professor McGonagall's words echoed in my head, " _While you're here, your house will be like your family."_

I feel sick, but the Slytherin table continues to roar and clap vigorously. Some yell "We've got Grace! We've got Grace!" almost in mockery of the Weasley Twins celebration beforehand. I sit next to a newly sorted first-year girl, she had shiny black hair with narrow slitted eyes. She quickly introduced herself as Pansy Parkinson. She appeared friendly enough. Opposite me, Draco Malfoy was sat with sly grin tugging at the right-hand corner of his mouth. And just two tables behind him, my brother was staring at me with a blank expression, it was almost like he had been betrayed by me, I didn't choose this.

Lastly, 'Blaise Zabini' was made the final Slytherin member, he was the dark skinned boy stood with me before I had my seating, he had a strange look about him. Anyway, he seated himself next to me with a smile and introduced himself politely. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat and the stool away.

Looking down at my empty plate trying to control my urge to look over to Harry, Hermione and Ron who were sat, no doubt laughing together like best friends, whereas I was trying to avoid awkward eye contact. I manage to have an actual conversation with a dark brown haired girl with light orange eyes. Her name is Mae Diggory. Staring down at my plate makes me realise how hungry I am, the food on train seemed like ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore had now gotten to his feet, a large beaming smile plastered across his face with his arms open wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see us all here. "Welcome!" he said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our feast, I have a few first-of-term notices I wish to announce; the first-years please note, the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all student. Also, our caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me to remind you, that the third-floor corridor on the right hand side, is out-of-bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death." Dumbledore paused for a moment allowing what he had said to sink in but it had made me a little curious, little whispers broke out over the hall but soon the Headmaster speaks again, "Now, let the feast begin!"

The entire group of first-years mouths dropped open as all the golden dishes in front of me were now filled with food. I had never seen so many things I liked to eat on one table: roasted beef and chicken, pork and lamb chops, steaks, sausages and bacon, boiled, roasted and mashed potatoes, yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy and ketchup (for some reason).

Harry looked almost as pleased as I was, the Dursley's had never exactly starved us but we never got to eat as much as we wanted. Dudley had always eaten anything we wanted, even if it made him feel sick. I piled my plate, not caring what anyone thought however no one said anything to me about my plate and it's capacity, hardly anyone gave my plate a second glance. Mae speaks to me thoroughly, with some friendly input from Draco and Blaise.

Suddenly, a blank eyed ghost popped his head out of the middle of my plate making me and Mae screech causing Pansy, Draco and Blaise to laugh sharply. The ghost had a gaunt face and robes stained with silver blood.

"Ah, fresh blood," the ghost muses as he inhales sharply before breathing outwards slowly, "A Potter... that is mighty interesting..."

I furrow my brows, "Why?"

The ghost smirks, but before he could reply, Draco shoo's the ghost away who snarls like a hound before passing through him. Draco shivers violently. "That's Bloody Baron." an elder Slytherin informs me and the other first-years, "Just ignore him."

And I do, Bloody Baron floats around scaring other first-years, soon when everyone has eaten as much as possible, the remains of the food disappear form the dishes to be replaced minutes later by bocks of ice cream in every flavour, apple pies, treacle tarts, jam doughnuts, chocolate éclairs, trifle and black forest gateau. As I turned to help myself to gateau, the talk of our section of the table, turned to families, Mae is a pure-blood as was Pansy, Blaise and Draco.

"What are you?" Pansy asks,

I felt very put on the stop as I had no idea what pure-blood means.

"What is a pure-blood?" I ask.

Blaise huffed, "It means we've got no mudbloods in our families."

"Mudbloods?"

"It means dirty blood, a witch or wizard born into a non-magic family. Their called Muggle-borns, only a few know to exisit and know of our world." Pansy says.

I just nod, not wanting to continue on with the conversation. From my seat I take a long look at the High Table. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet, Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. In his absurd turban, Professor Quirrell was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and shallow skin.

Then it happened suddenly, the hooked nose teacher looked straight past Quirrell and into my eyes – a sharp hot pain shot across my cheek.. I looked over at Harry as we both clamped our hands to our faces. We make eye contact briefly throughout the few people fussing over us.

"What is it?" Mae asks, I shake everyone's hands off me because the pain had gone as quickly as it had came.

Taking a sip of my drink from my goblet, I can feel Draco watching me carefully, "Who's the teacher talking to Quirrell?" I asked.

"That's our Head of House, Professor Snape, he teaches potions but everyone knows its the Dark Arts he fancies, he been after Quirrell's job for years." A older Slytherin girl informs me, she wore a prefects badge and smiled at me kindly, it was a different look than what everyone was giving me, she looked at me like I was any other first-year, not Grace Potter.

A few minutes later, the dinging of glass brings the Great Hall to silence, Professor Dumbledore stands up with a grin, "I do believe it's time for you all to go to bed. First-years go first, please follow your house prefects."

The girl who informed me about Professor Snape stood up and was joined by a boy further down the table. All the Slytherin first-years stood up nervously and followed our prefects down into what I assumed is the dungeons. Mae sticks to my side the entire way which makes me feel not just lonely but safer as well. And soon, after what feels like a maze, we all come together to stand in front of a pale stone wall, there is the outline of a large double door between two flickering green lanterns.

"Wattlebird." the female prefect spoke clearly. The grey bricks began to retract into the frame revealing the Slytherin Common Room door. It was tall and made of black wood, much like the wood my wand is made from.

The prefects pushed the doors open and allowed us to step into our new home for the years we are at Hogwarts. It was strangely beautiful despite it being in the dungeon, but the room was lit with greenish lamps, part of the Common Room extends under the lake we sailed across to reach the school. The room has a lot of low backed and dark green button – tufted, leather sofas and plush green sofas and armchairs. In the center of the far left wall was a huge open fire, flickering lively beneath a carving of a serpent.

The female prefect introduced herself as Nina and the male prefect introduced himself as Omar. They guided us over to the right hand wall where two doorways sit either side of a thin bookshelf. "Girls dormitories are through the right doorway, and boys dormitories are up through the left doorway." Omar informs us. "All of your possessions have already been placed in bedrooms for you."

Mae practically grips my hand in excitement as Pansy pulls us forwards towards the door leading up to the girls dormitories. The stairs were wide and made of black marble with shiny white specks, as the stairs continued to climb upwards, their was doors placed equally and on those doors were names of who lives there, the first door on the stairs was marked with the names:

 _Diggory_

 _Parkinson_

 _Potter_

That makes sense seeing as we were the only girls sorted into the Slytherin house this year, but there wasn't many first-years and when divided between four houses, especially when almost everyone was sorted into Gryffindor. Pansy opened our door revealing the room, there was three four-posted beds hung with deep-green velvet curtains, our trunks had been placed at the end of our beds. The order went from left to right; me, Diggory and Parkinson. Between my bed and Mae's was a large bay window was placed along the back window over looking the lake, We each pulled back the curtains of the beds we had been placed in to see a large, soft mattress with silk covers on plush duvets and pillows.

Milo laid in a ball just below my pillows, Mae and Pansy gush over him for a while but we were all so tired, I look over to see Pansy and Mae's companions they have brought. I see that Pansy also has a cat, she removes the feline from its cage to reveal it to be a hairless Sphynx cat. And Mae had a owl that hooted affectionately at the sight of her.

"This is Horus." Pansy say stroking the wrinkly cat behind the ears, Horus purrs and pushed its head further into his owners hand. Mae didn't introduce her owl because when Pansy and I had turned round to look at her, she had already put on her green silk nightdress and fallen into bed.

Pansy and I laugh before realising we are too tired to talk, we all slipped into silk nightdresses what were provided for us and climbed into bed, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell into a sleep. For once I felt safe and secure, and simply dreamt of what tomorrow would have in store.

* * *

 **A/N: How do you guys think that Harry and Grace being in different houses will effect their bond? I hope you enjoy this chapter, please favourite and follow to get updates and comment on what you really liked or maybe what you didn't like about this chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13: First Week

Chapter Thirteen.

 **Lessons and Teachers.**

"Look there!"

"Did you see her scar?"

"It's her!"

"Did you see her face?"

The whispers followed me from the moment I left my dormitory the following morning. Looking at our timetables, it appeared at Gryffindor and Slytherin had most of their classes together and thankfully Mae refused to leave my side as many students tiptoed over others to get a glimpse of me or doubled back in the corridors, staring. I wish they wouldn't because all I was trying to do was concentrate on finding our way to class.

There was hundred of staircases at Hogwarts: some wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that moved whilst you were on them. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all but solid wall pretending.

Filch, the caretaker also owned a cat called Mrs Norris, a scrawny, dust-coloured creature with bulging, lamp-like eyes that are a bright yellow. She patrolled the corridors alone but break any rule in front of her or put one toe out of like and she'd whisk off for Filch, who would appear, wheezing, seconds later. Filch knew off the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley Twins)

Once me and Mae managed to find some of the passageways, there were the lessons themselves. There was a lot more to magic then I thought, and which we all found out quickly, it was more than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

On Wednesdays at midnight, Mae and I along with everyone else in our class had to study the night skies through their telescopes and learn the names of different stars and the movement of the planets. Three times a week we went out to the green house behind the castle to study Herbology (which we had with the Gryffindor first-years), it was with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout where we learnt how to take care of all different strange plants and fungi and found out what uses they have. Hermione stuck by my side in lessons which Gryffindor and Slytherin are together as Ron made it clear he didn't like her very much. Harry and I greet each other like siblings would, he questions me about the Slytherin's and I question him about the Gryffindor's. We joke and laugh.

Professor McGonagall was different from the other teachers. I had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross, she threatened to turn one of Ron and Harry into a pocket watch or a map when they turned up late for her first lesson. McGonagall was strict and clever, as soon as we all had sat down, she gave us a firm talking to.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said, "Anyone messing about in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

McGonagall then changed her desk into a small pony and back again. Ever pair of ever widened in shock but we all realised that it would be a long time until we were turning furniture into animals. We were told to make complicated notes before being given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione and I had successfully turned our matches into needles and we received a rare smile from Professor McGonagall.

One lesson was taught my a ghost called Professor Binns, and it was easily the most boring lesson which was History of Magic. The ghost droned on and on while I scribbled down names and dates, if it wasn't for Draco poking me in the ribs with his wand sending a sharp electric shock through me, I would of fallen asleep.

* * *

Professor Flitwick, my Charms teacher, was almost close to adorable because he was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of book to see over his desk. At the start of our first lesson, as perusal, Gryffindor and Slytherin are placed together, so Hermione nabbed the seat to my left before anyone else could, Harry sat to my right, Mae sat to his left whilst Ron had no choice but to sit next to Hermione.

For our first Charms lesson, we all learnt a simple levitation spell, Flitwick handed us each a feather, he explained that we all needed to simply 'swish and flick' our wands, we all practised that movement for several minutes, Flitwick looked at us all, spending extra time watching Harry and I, he seemed excited by us and when he called the register and reached our names, he lets an squeak.

"Now, the words, repeat after me: _Wingardium Leviosa._ " Professor Flitwick said loudly and clearly.

The entire class replied in unison, "Wingardium Leviosa."

"Prefect." Flitwick says, "Now, remember the movement, swish and flick, you all try using your feathers."

Everyone in the class attempted it, and continued to try, wands and the spell was being used, some students shouted the spell others whispered. And if you were like Ronald, he was just saying the words and then waving his wand madly at the feature. Hermione flinched as the wand got to close to her eye.

"Stop! Stop!" she said strongly, "You're going to poke someone's eye out. Beside, you're saying it wrong, it'slevi-O-sa."

Ron snarls at Hermione, "You do it then if you're so clever," he challenges, stupidly.

Hermione just flickers her hair, and picks up her wand and says clearly whilst swishing and flicking her wand in perfect motion, "Wingardium Leviosa." Almost immediately the feather begins to levitate, Hermione continues to dip and raise her wand to keep the feather raising up and up. Ron's face plummeted in embarrassment as I begin laughing uncontrollably, it serves Ron right as he shouldn't of been rude.

Then after lesson, Harry, Ron, Seamus and Dean, (two boys who'd introduced themselves) they walked several feet in front of us however I can hear Ron talking about Hermione, "Levi-O-sa." he says mimicking her voice. "Honestly she's a nightmare, its no reason she hasn't got any friends."

Pain struck Hermione's face, she then stormed off, knocking shoulders with Ron to show that she had heard him. I give Harry and disappointed look as I run past them to catch up with Hermione. "Wait!" I call after her but she doesn't, I step in front of her quickly, "Don't listen to him, he's an idiot."

"But it's true, I don't have any friends, no one like me!" she says, tears line her eyes and she immediately stares down at her well polished shoes to avoid me from seeing that she was really upset.

I laugh, "I'm your friend."

"But we're not in the same house," she objects.

"Why does that matter?" I question, Hermione looked up from her shoes to meet my eyes, "Just because we aren't in the same house doesn't mean we cannot be friends, think about it, Gryffindor and Slytherin – from what I've heard – hate each other, think how fun it would be to prove that theory wrong?"

Hermione smiles, "I guess that would be fun."

"Plus our houses have literally every lesson together so you couldn't get rid of me if you tried." I wink.

This time, Hermione actually laughs, its a real heartfelt laugh that makes me smile. I gave her a hug, which she returned gratefully when we released each other, we just laughed like we'd known each other for years. It was nice.

* * *

From then, onwards, Hermione met me in the Entrance Hall as she come down the main staircase that led up to the right from the Great Hall's doorway whereas I come from the left down from the dungeons. We eat breakfast together, Milo usually comes down to sit beside me but during the day he either sleeps in my room or wanders around the school ground catching mice. Hermione didn't have a pet however the we received mail by the post owls, well I say 'we', I really meant, Hermione receives mail from her parents who are muggles and both dentists.

Friday was a very important day for Harry and Ron as it marked the first day they actually managed to find their way down to the Great Hall in time for breakfast without getting lost once. They sat opposite me and Hermione, we exchanged good mornings. It was strange being apart from during the night but since arriving at Hogwarts, I can feel Harry almost slipping away from me but I think it's because for the first time in our lives, we have our own friends and we aren't forced to spend all of our time together.

"What have we got today?" Harry asks pouring sugar on his porridge before passing it over to me so I can do the same. Pouring some on top before stirring it in and relaying the top with a thick layer of sugar.

"Double potions with the Slytherins." said Ron, I didn't like his tone when saying Slytherins. "Snape is there Head of House, apparently he always favours them – we'll be able to see if it's true."

I roll my eyes and chuckle, Ron gives me an odd disapproving look, "I'm certain that's not true, teachers who are the head of houses cant show favouritism to the students in their house. It's unethical and unfair."

Just then, the post arrived, I had gotten used to this by now whereas on the first morning it had given me a bit of a shock when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the table until they saw their owners or the recipients of the letters they hold, once located, they dropped letters and packages onto the table in front or in their laps depending on the size.

Hedwig hadn't brought Harry or myself anything so far, she sometimes flew in to nibble our ears and steal a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. Despite not being the owner of Hedwig, she would still sit on my shoulder and allow me to pet her, Harry said he didn't mind because I'm certain that Milo sneaks off to spend time in the Gryffindor common room.

However, this morning, Hedwig fluttered down between Harry and myself and dropped a note onto the table between us. Harry and I stare at it, unknowing what to say because the note is addressed to both of us. Harry nodded to me, I picked it up and tore it open with excitement.

 _Dear Harry and Grace,_ (it said, in a very untidy scrawl)

 _I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Feel free to bring the new friends. Send us a answer back with Hedwig._

– _Hagrid._

Snatching Hermione's quill, I scribbled a reply on the back of the note saying, _yes please, see you later,_ I gave the note back to Hedwig and informed her to go back to Hagrid before telling Harry, Hermione and Ron that we are having tea with Hagrid at three. They all agreed happily. And then we headed off to Potions with Professor Snape, to see if he favour the Slytherin students.

* * *

 **A/N: Tell me what you think of Grace and Hermione's friendship but also the twins meeting Snape for the first time! Review, I love reading your feedback, also favourite and follow to get updates of later chapters! Have a good day!**


	14. Chapter 14: Division

Chapter Fourteen.

 **The Potions Master.**

Potions lessons took place in a classroom down in the dungeons so finding the room was very easy for me and Mae because, well we live down here, Ron and Harry poked fun at our ability to navigate our way through the dark, damp and quite creepy corridors but Mae and I just threatened to leave them there as we knew the quick ways out, Mae and I also pretend that we know secret passageways which shuts Harry and Ron up with terrified looks.

As we waited outside the wooden door to the classroom, the diversity between Slytherin and Gryffindor was incredible. Slytherin crowed on the left side of the door whilst the Gryffindor occupied the right side. I felt very awkward as I stood with Hermione leaning against the wall opposite the entrance to the classroom because Pansy. Draco and his minions are staring as are some of the Gryffindor members.

Speaking to Hermione helped take my mind off being in the same room as Professor Snape after the start-of-term banquet and remembering the feeling of the shooting pain that echoed through Harry and I when we made eye contact with the man made me very nervous. I can tell by the worried look in my brothers eyes that he was just as afraid it was going to happen again and in a confined space such as a classroom could make it harder for us to pretend it didn't happen.

The classroom door opened allowing all of us to entire, the room was somewhat colder than the corridor but it didn't bother me majorly because I live down here but Gryffindors where shivering causing the Slytherins to laugh. There was something creepy about the room, not only because their was parts of animals floating in glass jars sitting on shelves along with other strange items. However off to the far right is a cupboard marked _INGREDIENTS_.

The room was laid out with three isles made for three students to sit out, each isle was made up of four desk. Hermione seated herself in the center isle so she's right in front of the raised area in which Professor Snape will stand, his desk is immaculately clean with a cauldron placed on top. Out of the three seats she took the left seat, Mae decided not to sit next to Hermione I'm not sure why but this means the middle seat is available. Harry took the seat on the left of Hermione on the first isle of desk and Ron sat beside my brother on the middle seat leaving a space free.

Professor Snape practically swooped in with a long black cloak, he turned around swiftly to reveal he is wearing practically all black except the white cuffs and hint of a collar. "There will be no silly wand waving in this class." was the first thing he said to all of us before picking up a sheet of paper, like Flitwick, Snape started class by taking the register and again, like the tiny wizard, the tall wizard paused on mine and Harry's name but he didn't say anything nor did he even look at us before continuing, "I can teach you to bewitch the mind and ensnare the sense. I can tell how to bottle fame, brew glory and even, put a stopper in death..." Snape's voice was incredibly drowning, he paused slightly, his eyes falling upon my brother who was writing down notes, "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in procession of abilities so formidable that you feel comfortable enough... to not pay attention!"

And that is when Hermione jabbed my brother sharply in the ribs using her elbow, before Harry could complain to her, she jerked her head in the direction of a very irritated Professor Snape. He then glided over to my brother, "Mr Potter..." he drowns on, it looked almost as if saying and acknowledging my brother was a painful act. "Our new – _celebrity_. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

 _Powdered root of what to an infusion of what?_ I thought furrowing my brows, looking around I can see that everyone – but Hermione, of course – looked stumped by this question. I could see Harry's eyes flicker in embarrassment and sadness.

"I don't know, sir." said Harry, his voice was quiet.

Snape's lip curled into a seer that I didn't like. "Tut, tut – clearly fame isn't everything."

I could feel myself getting anger and anger with Snape because he is only picking on Harry and not me, I couldn't understand it, if Snape had a problem with Potter's then he needed to insult me. Professor Snape then signed, "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfs-bane?"

Harry was quickly going red with embarrassment and I could tell in his eyes he was getting upset about Snape hazing. "I think Hermione knows, why don't you ask her." I interrupt sharply, a few people laughed. Professor Snape's neck snapped his head to stare right in my direction, I look him sternly in the face trying to look as fearless as possible.

"Miss Potter," Snape kind of whispered, my face didn't faultier.

Unfortunately things don't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lessons continued, Snape paired everyone together making a very clear void between the two houses as me and Mae are removed from our friends. Snape swept around in his long cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, he criticised almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to have a liking for. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acrid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville was sent to the hospital wing when red boils sprang up all over his arm after he'd gotten the potion on him when it tipped over.

"You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you?" Snape snarled. Both Harry and I let out a noise to start an argument, but Snape swiftly turned to face me, "Not you, Miss Potter. That's another point from Gryffindor."

"It wasn't even Harry's fault!" I argue but Snape ignores me.

Ron shoots me a look, "Don't push it, I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

Eventually, the end of the lessons crawled around slowly, everyone packs up either items and once we had finished every student was allowed to leave. Mae and I hadn't quite finished our potion so we were asked to stay behind in order to do that, Draco whispers in my ear "stir is clockwise" before he left the classroom, I expect the potion to explode in my face as I take Draco's advice and it works. Snape inspects our potion and decides its acceptable enough to allow us to leave.

"Thank God," I mumble as we dispose of our potion and rinse out Mae's cauldron. Mae and I don't even bother saying goodbye to Professor Snape, instead we just leave, the dungeon has a strange breeze fluttering through it which causes me to shiver. Hermione, Ron and Harry said before they left that they would be waiting upstairs.

"Lil – I mean, Grace!" a voice called down the cold corridor, both Mae and I turn to see the caller is Snape.

"Yes sir." I reply awkwardly.

Snape continued to march towards Mae and myself, "You left your quill."

I take my quill from him and smile slightly, "Thank you."

The man doesn't say anything else, in face his eyes just flicker across my face for a moment before settling on my scar before he signs gently, "Enjoy the rest of your day." he say before turning sharply and storming off.

Mae raised an eyebrow at me as I chuckled nervously, did Snape call me Lily? I didn't think about it anymore as we walked through the dungeons and headed back up the the light of the castle. Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting in the Great Hall, I sat next to Hermione and Mae took a nervous look over at the Slytherin table, I follow her gaze to see Pansy looking snake-eyed at us, Draco scowled for a moment but then turned away.

"I'm going to go sit with them." Mae says before turning sharply and weaving through the long tables to sit with the first-year Slytherins. I can't stop staring as Mae takes a seat, Pansy is giving her a disapproving look before mumbling something. Hermione looks very uncomfortable as every now and again, she would look over Harry's shoulder to meet the eyes of Pansy before almost shivering. Maybe Hermione wasn't save around the Slytherins.

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 _A/N: Well, they've now met Snape, how did you guys feel about it? Please review and follow/favourite if you're enjoying this chapter. I'm going to be writing the entire collection of books, how do you feel about that, would many of you be interested in reading them all?_


	15. Chapter 15: The Clipping

Chapter Fifteen.

 **Tea At Hagrids.**

Whilst in the Great Hall, the four of us attempt to do some of the homework we had been given but I couldn't concentrate, not with the other members of my house staring at Hermione like she didn't belong. I vow to keep a close eye on Hermione from that moment as Pansy looked like the kind of girl who wouldn't keep her dislike about Hermione to cowardly gossip.

At five to three, we all retreat from the Great Hall and head over to Hagrid's who lived across the school grounds, in a small wooden hut on the edge of a large black forest – or the Forbidden Forest as everyone else called it. Keeping in tune with the rather scary theme, there was a crossbow sat outside.

Harry gathered enough courage first to knock on the door, almost immediately a booming bark echoed through the house making the four of us outside almost jump out of our skins. The barks continued as well as scrapping against wood shortly followed by Hagrid saying, " _Back_ , Fang – _back_."

Hagrid's face then appeared in the doorway, his right hand gripping the collar of a enormous black boarhound. The dog was nearly as tall as me, it looked dangerous but after Hagrid had said a few words, the hound – who I assumed was called Fang – calmed down.

There was only one room inside the hut however it was very large, hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt. A large table sat in the middle, cabinets of random items cover the walls and in the corner opposite the bed was a bench padded with what looked like home-made cushions and a large arm chair.

"Make yourselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang who bounded without hesitation straight towards Ron and started licking his right ear happily. Like his owner, Fang wasn't as fierce as he looked. Everyone sat around the table on stools that don't allow our feet to touch the floor.

"This is Ron and Hermione." I tell Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large tea pot bigger than my head and putting rock cakes on a large plate. He brought the items over to the table before fetching teacups.

"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid said with a slight disapproving tone, glancing at Ron's freckles and red hair, "I spent half me life chasin' yer brothers away from the Forest." Ron went scarlet and picked up a rock cake, nibbling on it to keep his nerves at bay. Hermione was very polite as she spoke to Hagrid happily drinking tea and eating the rock cakes that almost broke our teeth but we ate them anyway, pretending to enjoy them.

Hermione ignored the boys laughing at her being so enthusiastic about our first couple of days, as well as the lessons, Harry and Ron tried to interject and tell Hagrid about how horrid Snape was towards Harry but how kind he appeared to be towards to myself. It's in the mist of a in-depth conversation about some strange creature I had never heard from, my eyes fall upon a cutting from the _Daily Prophet_ :

 _GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN_

 _On July 31, believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown, Gringotts' Goblins insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question number 7-1-3 had in fact been emptied that very same day._

Despite my heart race elevating to the point where I was afraid that it was going to burst out of my chest. I quickly folded up the cutting and slipped it into my pocket before my sweating hands could smudge the ink. No one noticed my suddenly white exterior, and I didn't kick up a fuse. I needed to talk to Harry.

My mind wandered back to our birthday, the day Harry and I first visited Gringotts, Hagrid had emptied the vault seven hundred and thirteen, well if you can call taking the one item in the vault 'clearing'. What was in there of value anyway? That grubby little package, had that been what the thieves were looking for?

Soon it became time for us all to leave for dinner, our pockets weighted down with rock cakes as we'd all been too polite to refuse, despite it being only our first week, Harry, Ron and Hermione talked for a suitable amount of time. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? What was it anyway? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry and I?

As we entered the Great Hall, the main bulk of the school had not arrived yet giving us all time to find seats, before Harry wandered off to the Gryffindor table, I slipped the cutting of the Daily Prophet into his hand before walking off to avoid suspicious looks.

Mae and Blaise came and sat with me, shortly followed by Draco and Pansy who looked a little too friendly with each other although it didn't surprise me, if any Slytherins were going to get together quickest, my money would be on them, both pure-bloods and probably known each other before Hogwarts began.

I felt a slight pang in my chest, something I'd never felt before in this situation but it was a similar feeling I got when I saw the food Dudley was given and the mountains of presents he received for his birthday. It was jealously, but that feeling was swiftly washed away when I met Harry's eyes across the hall, he had the cutting firmly gripped in his hand whilst Ron and Hermione attempted to read it at odd angles. We needed to find what was in that package, or better yet, find out why someone wanted to steal it.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to update a chapter, but here is a short one to account for it. Review, favourite and follow!_


	16. Chapter 16: Flying Lessons

Chapter Sixteen.

 **Broomstick Mayhem.**

Thursday arrived swiftly the next day, despite the early morning awakening and tiredness that gripped my limbs from repeatedly waking up from nightmares that involved me being locked in vault 7-1-3, there was an undeniable buzz in the air from all the first-year Slytherins gathered in the common room. Ever since we'd been given our timetables, this has been the day we all had been looking forward to most – flying lessons.

As usual, each lesson was made up of the combination of two first-year houses, and it was pinned up on the Slytherin noticeboard in the common room which made every other first-year groan but made my heart leap with joy as flying lessons will be held with the Gryffindor first-years which means I'd get to see Harry and Hermione – Ron, I considered a friend but it was obvious he had fixed opinion on the Slytherins and me being his best friends twin, wasn't going to change that he thought we were evil and mean.

We all sat together at breakfast, flying lessons was all Harry and Ron had been speaking about since we got our timetables, and as me and Hermione sat discussing Transfiguration, it had become my favourite subject despite Professor McGonagall's terrifying nature. Ron was telling Harry about the time he almost hit a hang-glider on his brother's old broom.

Post arrived shortly, Hermione received a letter from her parents but once she had read it and gleamed happily, Hermione handed it too me, I took it rather confused and read the letter which was written in soft, feminine handwriting, apparently Hermione had informed her parents about me and they had kindly said; _Maybe one summer she can come and stay with us, she sounds lovely. Have a good time, see you at Christmas._ I grinned happily, deep down I felt suddenly warm, her parents must be lovely, I handed Hermione her letter back, we hadn't spent much time speaking about families, I think maybe she thinks I'll feel uncomfortable but I'd like to hear about her family.

We continued eating breakfast whilst we all watched Neville, a boy from the Gryffindor house, open a brown papered package he had received, his twin watched over him carefully, clearly jealous that he had got a present and she had not. Once unwrapped, Neville removed a tennis ball-sized glass ball that looked fragile, it had a band of gold around the middle with some circle engravings on the surface.

"Look, Neville's got a Remembrall." a boy called Dean pointed out. Everyone within several chairs who wasn't watching like I was, turned to look at the item Neville was holding in his left hand.

"I've read about those," Hermione pointed out as the ball began to fill up with grey smoke which turned a crimson red, "When the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something."

Neville just turned to look at her, "Problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten."

Several other first-years laugh warmly before turning back to my food however soon it was time for every one to head off to first lesson. Harry and Ron practically skipped to the field where we had been instructed to wait, I could tell by the mere look in theirs eyes that they weren't looking forward to it nearly as much as they had been in the days beforehand, and I can tell it was because of Draco Malfoy.

Twenty broomsticks lay neatly, ten either side facing each other. Amongst the twenty first-years, most of them had been on a broomstick with the exception of Harry and myself, Hermione and the other twins who live in Gryffindor; Neville and Tracey. Draco talk a lot about flying and all the times he had almost been spotted by Muggles, he complained loudly about the first-years never betting in the house Quidditch teams. Seamus Finnigan said he spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on a broomstick.

Our teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, grey hair that was styled so it poked out randomly with yellow eyes like a hawk. She stands at the end of the two lines, "Welcome to your first flying lesson," she says, "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she ordered looking at us in a confused manner, "Everyone stand on the left-side of your broom, come on hurry up." Hooch orders, "Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'up'."

I gulped as everyone began shouting 'UP' at their broom. Harry was to the right of me whilst Hermione was on the left. They all yelled at their broomstick, several rolled about on the ground whereas Harry's shot right to his hand on the first order. Ron, Hermione and myself all look at Harry with amazement, despite not calling 'up' at my broomstick, I feel like everyone else who had yelled at their broom without it jumping up.

Instead of yelling, I simply whisper, "Up."

Suddenly, the broom whisks to my hand, I grip it firmly and smile, half surprised that my idea actually worked. Hermione was still trying to get hers to move whilst Ron's shot up vertically and hit him in the nose instead of going to his hand. Harry and I laughed together for the first time in a while but it felt great and even Hermione cracked a smile at Ron's misfortune.

Eventually, every student had their broomstick in their right hand. We were then told to mount our brooms, Madam Hooch then approached us all and corrected our form to ensure we don't slid off the end. Harry and Ron were so pleased to hear her tell Draco he'd been doing it wrong for years. Pansy and Mae had a few things to be corrected same as Hermione and I but Harry seemed to be doing everything perfectly.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you will all kick off the ground, hard," ordered Hooch, "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, hover for a moment and then come straight back down." All the first-years suddenly looked a different shade of green, "On my whistle – three – two –"

Immediately, Neville began to rise up, he hovered above our heads for a moment as Madam Hooch ordered him back down but the broomstick appeared to have a mind of it's own as it began to rise more before shooting forwards narrowly missing Draco and Pansy heads.

"Mr Longbottom!" Madam Hooch yelled as Neville's broomstick fly off, getting higher and higher, even from the ground I could see his white face as he looked down at the ground. His broom was aiming for the wall, he tried to angle it away but he was too close, the end of the broomstick smashed into the hard brick wall of the outer castle and then he slipped sideways off the broom and –

 _CRASH_ – a thud echoes through the silent surroundings combined with our gasps and a nasty crack. Neville lay face down on the grass in a crumbled heap. The cursed broomstick was still floating several feet above us before zooming off lazily towards the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.

Hermione was the first person to abandon their broomstick, she ran towards the injured Gryffindor whilst I heard several Slytherins laugh at the poor boys misfortune. Turning sharply, I look at Draco who was snigger with Crabbe and Goyle, Pansy leant with one arm on Draco's shoulder giggling whilst Mae smiled evilly. Draco's eyes locked with mine and he stopped laughing almost immediately but the others continued.

Madam Hooch practically scooped Neville up, as she touched his wrist he howled in pain as more tears streaked down his tear strained face. "Ah, looks like a broken wrist," I hear her mutter before she began supporting hobbling Neville away from the scene, "All of you keep your feet firmly on the ground whilst I take Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing, if I see a single broom in the air, the person riding it will be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'." she threatens and by the gleaming look in her eye, she certainly means it.

With the help of Tracy, Madam Hooch walking hobbling Neville off to the hospital wing. I stepped back wanting to get away from the crowd, my foot accidentally hit something that felt solid but it rolled away at my touch, I turn to see what the item is and it turns out to be Neville's Remembrall before I could grab or stop the item, it had rolled into the hand of Draco Malfoy who snatched the present and glared at it.

"If the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he probably would have remembered to land on his fat ass." Draco hisses evilly. My mouth falls open with shock, I didn't expect something like that to come out of Draco's mouth, the other Slytherins joined in but the Gryffindors all looked hard-faced at the nasty first-year.

"Give it here, Draco." I say softly.

His eyes flicker between me and the others before he could speak, Harry did, "Yeah, give it back." he orders.

This causes Draco to smile nastily. "No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find –" he said before leisurely swooping off on his broom around the outside of the group before cutting through the middle and saying, "– maybe on the roof!"

Draco wasn't lying, he could in fact fly very well and he floated level with the topmost branches of an oak tree not far from us, and it's from this great height, he calls, "A little out of your reach, Potter?"

Harry mounts his broom, I grab his arm tightly, "No, you can't." I hiss angrily at my brother sheer madness.

"Your sister is right, you heard what Madam Hooch said, plus you don't know how to fly!" Hermione insists but my brother seems to think both of us aren't worth listening too, he stiffens his upper lip and mounts his broom to fly off after Draco who smirked triumphantly.

From the ground, non of us could hear what Draco and Malfoy were saying to each other however the faint facial expressions I can see suggests that the words pasted between when weren't nice. There was several times that Harry attempted to try and take Draco off his broom, and then, Draco pulled his arm back that's holding the Remembrall and threw it.

Harry zoomed past Draco who smirked again before returning back to the ground to receive several pats on the back from the other Slytherins. I just glared at him angrily but he didn't pay me much attention. Harry just caught the ball before he headed straight into a window, everyone cheered as he returned back down to the ground holding the Remembrall. Once on the ground, he is practically engulfed in a Gryffindor hug which only Hermione includes me in, I can practically feel the Slytherins staring at me.

"HARRY POTTER!" the sudden yelling of my brother voice sank my heart. Professor McGonagall was walking quickly towards the crowd of first-years. Her face was stern like always but there was a new look in her eyes that terrified me to my very core. Harry looked like a deer caught in the headlights however he turned to look at me. "Come with me please." Professor McGonagall orders.

I gulp as Harry handed Ron his broomstick before sulking off and following his Head of House into the castle. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle all smirked with happiness but as I turn to give them a cold look, their smiles quickly vanished.

My brother was going to get expelled, oh god, he would have to go back to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia to be laughed at and bullied by Dudley. How would I be able to face him when I eventually had to go home. Madam Hooch arrived not long after Harry had been whisked away and informed us that the lesson was not going to continue and gave us all study time.

Ron, Hermione and myself all walked to the Great Hall, but Ron told us he wasn't feeling homework and sulked off to the Gryffindor common room whilst Hermione and I headed to the library where we sat and finished the Transfiguration homework and did some reading on Potions but I couldn't concentrate, all I could think about was Harry.

* * *

At dinner, I was as shocked to see Harry walk confidently through the doors as Draco and his minions were. Looking at Professor McGonagall sat up at the high table, she gives me a nod and I walk quickly round to the table and sit beside Hermione as Harry speaks to them.

"You're joking." I hear Ron exclaim. " _Seeker?_ But first-years never – you must be the youngest Seeker in –"

"– a century," said Harry proudly, shovelling what appeared to be a well deserved pie into his mouth, I look over at Hermione confused, I didn't know what a Seeker was but whatever it was Harry and Ron seemed to be very excited about it. "I start training next week, only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."

Harry looks past me to see Draco sniggering, I had left my food unattended beside Mae and opposite Blaize. "I better go before Pansy poisons my food." I mumble before walking back to the Slytherin table, Pansy looks as if she's about to say something nasty but Draco shoots her a look and she remains quiet. However, even if Pansy had the courage to speak even if Draco had told her not too, my brother wasn't going to leave me and that's the best thing I could ask for.

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 _A/N: If you like this chapter please leave a review. Also I'm thinking of starting to write an Avengers fic, any of you be interested in reading it?_


	17. Chapter 17: Tricked

Chapter Seventeen.

 **The Creature.**

Hermione, Ron and Harry waited for me at the end of dinner as Hermione claimed she had something that Harry and I would want to see. I rushed to finish my food in order to catch up with them but Mae and Pansy managed to corner me and ask if I was okay, they must of thought I was feeling out of place in Slytherin as they invited me to do the Potions homework that we were all struggling on. It was clearly obvious that Gryffindors and Slytherins did not like each other for some reason and everyone must of thought it was strange for me to constantly hang out with the other house despite one being my twin but I just assure my room-mates that I am fine, spending time with my brother and that I would be back later to do the Potions homework with them before scuttling off in search of my brother and our friends.

Hermione walked quicker than anyone I had known, she practically has me, Ron and Harry jogging after her as she navigates us through the lit corridors of Hogwarts. Continuously we ask her were she is taking us but she simply replies with "You'll see." which makes Ron moan with aggravation. Then suddenly, we stop outside of a glass display cabinet marked with 'achievements' on the wood beneath the glass. She then points to the shield shaped award plaque that has a golden banner across the center reading 'Quidditch Champions Gryffindor.' and in a golden badge at the bottom beneath the name Seeker is James Potter – our father.

"See?" Hermione grins as me and Harry gawk at the glimmering golden name, "Quidditch is in your blood."

After a good fifteen minutes of Harry and I mumbling words of excitement to one another, Ron begins to get irritating having to spend that much time beside Hermione without Harry's input and soon, Harry bows under the pressure of Ron unintelligible moans and signs.

"Are you going back to your common room?" Harry asks as we all trot down the corridor, admittedly with a little spring in our steps. I looked back at Hermione who looked a little uncomfortable, I really should get back to Mae and Pansy but I look at Hermione and can't seem to will myself to go back but I knew deep down I should or it will cause problems, having friends outside of my house from great but I needed to keep some inside Slytherin as well.

"I promised Mae and Pansy I would get back to help them with the Transfiguration homework," I mumble as all three of them make the same flinch and grossed face when I mentioned Pansy's name, I shrug feeling really bad but then I turn to Hermione who looks saddened, "Did you want to go the library about eight? Shouldn't take Pansy and Mae to do the homework." I say, Hermione let a small grin creep across her features, she smiled and agreed, by this rate I will have all my homework done days before they are due in but I was thankful to get into this habit now because if not, I will just leave it until the last moment, I'm rather lazy like that.

"I'll see you in the morning." Harry grins pulling me into a hug, saying goodbye was always difficult for us because being at Hogwarts was the first time either of us have been apart from each other except at normal school obviously but we hung out at lunch and break like we do here, it's just different and strange.

Ron smiles and says goodbye before him and Harry wander off however I see Harry linger around for Hermione who looks at my brother with a grateful gaze, Harry will never push someone away because he knows how it feels. I tell Hermione I will see her later and all three of them walk off whilst I turn the opposite way, clutching my free work and books heading for the Slytherin common room.

"Wattlebird." I said to the faint outline of the door, it took a moment but soon the entrance to the common room was in front of me, welcoming me to the surprisingly living room behind. The Slytherin student were defiantly the most rowdy and animistic, older students tell younger students about wild parties, nights of vomiting and hiding mischief from teachers.

A few older students mutter things as I walk past but I ignore them, Blaise gave me a smile as I head towards the dorm stairs and into my dormitory where my room-mates where talking about something that looked greatly important.

"Hey!" Mae said happily, I'm surprised to see Pansy smile and greet me as well. We all get to work and finish the homework quickly and the conversation quickly turns to boys before I knew it, Pansy admits to having a crush on Draco which isn't all that surprising whilst Mae thinks than one of the elder boys are cute, I nod along and pretend to like some of the boys as well but I haven't really spent any time looking at the boys – or girls.

We continue to laugh and tell stories but when I check my watch, I realise it was half past eight and I shoot up like a bullet grabbing my robe muttering that I have to go quickly.

"Where are you going?" they question me.

I flush a deep red, "To the library, I'm really sorry!"

"How about lunch tomorrow? Mae and I are going to hang out with some of the older Slytherins, want to join?" Pansy looks as if she is challenging, waiting for me to say no but I smile politely instead and agree. Pansy looks shocked but Mae smiles like she knew my plan all along, and with glee building up in my chest, I flee the Slytherin common room in search of a no doubt angry Hermione.

* * *

"Hermione!" I gasp as I sprint round the corner the bushy haired Gryffindor had fled round, I grab her shoulder lightly and turn her to face me, which is when I see her face stained red from tears. "I'm so sorry, I got a little carried away in the common room, I'm sorry." I apologise over and over again but Hermione doesn't look convinced and I fear I may have ruined our friendship until she drops her books at our feet and pulls me into a tight hug which I return.

Then I realise, after a few minutes, this wasn't just about me being late to meet her in the library, something else was going on, I pull away to look at her. "What's going on?" I demand, her bottom lip quivers but my gaze remains stern,

"It's Ron and your brother," Hermione manages to say through her sobs and hiccups, "Draco challenged them to a duel after curfew! Wizard duels are forbidden unless in a controlled environment, meaning if they get caught – "

"They'll get expelled." I finish her sentence angrily. "Where are they meeting?" I question.

"The trophy room," she tells me, I nod and begin to march in the direction of the stairs. "Where are you going?" Hermione hissed following me quickly.

"To get my stupid brother and his equally as idiotic friend from getting expelled." I growl, Hermione took the lead considering I actually had no idea where I was going and she got us there quickly. We touched the door handle, surprised to find it actually open and stepped inside. We waited for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes after curfew before someone gripped the door handle, it must be either Draco and Crabbe or Ron and Harry and to my relief it was my twin and his friend who almost screamed like little girls when Hermione and I grabbed them in the dark.

"Where are you doing here!" Ron hissed venomously at Hermione before looking at me, "Here to cheer Malfoy on?" he sneered at me causing anger to swell up in my chest.

I step forward, shielding Hermione from Ron, "Keeping you two from getting expelled!" I hiss back whilst shooting Harry a disapproving glance that made him look down at his feet. Ron moved away from me nervously. "Well, it looks like you two have been tricked because neither Draco or Slytherin aside from myself has been inside this room."

Then a noise from inside the next room made us all jump, Harry had only just raised his wand to see when we all heard a voice speak – and it wasn't Malfoy, it was worse. It was Filch speaking to Mrs Norris. Horror-struck, I waved madly at the other three to follow me as quickly as possible as quietly as possible as we scuttled towards the doorway furthest from Filch.

"Find them, my darling." he cooed to his cat.

I mouthed for the other to follow me as we wound our way down the long gallery filled with suits of amour. We were all petrified as we heard Filch getting near and near. We flung out of the classroom and into another open room quickly to shut the door quietly but instead we found ourself in a small corridor with only one door at the end. We ran straight forward as the goblets on the wall sparked to light.

"It's locked!" Ron whines as he rattles at the handle.

"Oh, move over." Hermione snarled, she grabbed her wand from her rob and aimed it at the lock, tapping it once and spoke softly, " _Alohamora_." The lock clicked and the door swung open – we piled through and suit it quickly and held our breaths to remain silent as possible whilst we pressed our ears up against the wood.

"Stop breathing on me!" Ron hissed to Hermione as we heard Filch leave, hurrying Mrs Norris along with him.

"I'm not breathing on you!" Hermione shot back from the other end of the line against the door.

Ignoring them both, I ease up from the wooden door, "Where are we?" I question as I felt something graze across the back of my exposed skin at the back of my neck, it was warm like breath as Ron had said but Ron, Harry and Hermione were all stood to the side of me. The front wall of the room was made of grey stone. As the warm breath continues to blow over my neck, I turn around to be confronted by a monstrous dog.

"We're in the third floor corridor, it's forbidden." I then mumble before anyone could reply to me because now I knew why it was forbidden, I turned back to see Ron, Harry and Hermione all still pressed against the door, I tugged on my brothers robe and they all turned to face the creature in the room with us.

The dog filled the entire space between floor to ceiling – it had three-heads. Three pairs of yellow eyes; three black wet noses which twitch in different directions; three drooling mouths, saliva pooling on the floor from yellowish fangs. I swallow down the lump in my throat but that only made the situation worse as the three dogs opened their eyes revealing bright yellow orbs, their heads rise and they all snarl at us.

Screams erupt from our lungs before we could stop them but they were simply shadowed by the thunderous barks of the dogs. Harry grappled the door handle – between Filch and death, it'd take Filch any day. We tumbled through the door before wrestling the door shut as one of the dog poked it head through the doorway but between the four of us we just about manage to shut the door and sprint away from the forbidden corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for us somewhere else because we didn't come in contact with him anymore.

"What were they thinking! Keeping a thing like that locked up in a school!?" Ron explodes.

Hermione scoffed, "You don't look with your eyes, do you?" she questions making Ron feel like an idiot.

We got to the section of the school where I am required to part ways so I could get back to my comfortable bed and Milo, "Non of us were looking at its feet, Hermione. I was too busy looking at it's heads." I replied, slightly backing up Ron who looks surprised.

"It's sat on a trapdoor, which means it wasn't there by accident, it's guarding something," Hermione explained shooting me a look, "Now, I hope you both are proud of yourselves because we all could have been killed – or worse, expelled. Now, I'm going to bed before you two come up with any other stupid ideas that put Grace and I in danger."

And then Hermione stormed off whilst Ron stared at her back with his mouth hanging open, "We didn't drag them along." he huffs before walking up several stairs away from Harry and I.

Harry looked far beyond ashamed as he apologised to me giving me a hug and he even asked if I wanted to be walked back to the Slytherin common room. I decline nicely before saying goodnight to the others before darting off down the stairs, quickly checking around corners to make sure Mrs Norris or Filch wasn't there waiting. When I entered the common room, there was an older boy sitting by the fire, he had jet black hair and slightly tanned skin with bright green eyes, the boy smiles at me and I return it before wondering why he is up so late but I'm certain that he is expecting the same.

Mae and Pansy were still awake then I arrived back in the common room, they had mugs of steaming hot chocolate and marshmallows. They greet me back and magic me up a cup, I change into my night dress before joining the others on Pansy bed, Milo greeted me affectionately brushing against my chin, licking my hand before eventually calming down and curling up on my lap. Horus looks at me suspiciously but doesn't deny me when I go to rub him between the ears. The three of us laugh like we did the first night we met, Mae and Pansy weren't bad friends because they insisted on me hanging out with them. It was around midnight when a tap echoed through our room making us all jump, we turn to the window to see a Mae's barn owl tapping against the glass resting on the owl stand outside.

Mae leapt up as the owl continued tapping with a letter clasped within it beak, she lets the bird in – who is called Misty – and carries her on Mae's arm over to the bed where the owl takes place on her shoulder away from the cats who actually don't seem very interested in the potential meal.

"Who is it from?" Pansy asks sipping her hot chocolate carefully.

Mae doesn't look up from the letter, "My brother, Cedric." she replies.

"Isn't he a Hufflepuff?" Pansy sniggers.

Mae looked saddened by Pansy's comment but before Pansy can even attempt to apologise, Mae had gotten off the bed quickly ensuring that Misty has flown into her cage that was handing on a stand keeping it off the floor by three feet. Pansy looks a bit shocked at Mae's reaction but what can she really expect? I then understand what I maybe haven't realised before, Mae had a sibling in a different house who also for a few years lived away from her, she knows how I feel more than I had realised.

"I'm going to go to sleep." I tell Pansy who gave me a single nod in reply before turning away from me.

Milo jumped off my lap and lounges across my bed. I sign heavily placing the mug of hot chocolate on the bedside table and climbed in. Apparently Milo felt it appropriate for him to curl up on the pillow beside my head resting his small feline head in the crook of my neck but Hermione had given me something else to think about as when I close my eyes to sleep, I can't seem to. The dog was guarding something but then I remember back to something Hagrid had said, "Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide – except perhaps Hogwarts," And as I turned over to readjust Milo from breath on me, it looked as though I had figure out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.

* * *

 **A/N:** _First of all, I want to apologise a hundred and ten percent for leaving you guys hanging for so long! I've had a lot of personal problems going on as well as college but I'm back and will update a lot quicker with christmas coming up! I hope you enjoy this chapter because it gives you guys a little insight to the Slytherin friendships as well. Please comment, follow and favourite! I've missed you!_


	18. Chapter 18: Saving Hermione

Chapter Eighteen.

 **Halloween.**

Waking up, I felt myself filled with anger at the thought of Draco Malfoy and I was so satisfied by the look on his when Ron and Draco walked into the Great Hall whilst Draco and the rest of the Slytherins sat eating. Mae was still in a mood with Pansy and for the first time since starting Hogwarts, Pansy felt like the outsider. Mae and I laughed, joked and compared timetables. I can see by Ron and Harry's intense talking that Harry had came to the same conclusion as I had that previous night however Hermione didn't seem the least bit interested and sat there pushing her porridge about with a spoon looking miserable but I assume Ron was probably pleased about that as he thinks she is a know-it-all which I suppose is true, Hermione was incredibly cleaver and Ron feels intimidated by it.

Soon, the owls flood into the Great Hall shrieking like normal as they search for their owners or who the letters or parcels are addressed too however everyone's eyes are glued on the long thin parcel being carried by six small owls one being Hedwig, then it was dropped on the table in front of Harry with a note attached. Thankfully the Gryffindor table was practically empty. Hermione, Ronald and Harry all rip open the parcel to reveal a beautiful wooden broomstick.

First years aren't allowed broomstick, I think but then suddenly, a parcel lands in my lap which had been carried by Misty who wants a reward, so with permission from Mae, I give her a little bit of bacon to say thank you. Then I take off the note from on top of the parcel, which is good because the note read:

 _DO NOT OPEN THIS PARCEL AT THE TABLE._

 _It contains a time-turner, both you and Miss Granger have proved that you are more than willing to achieve fantastic educations and as of Third Year,_

 _I am willing to allow both you and Hermione to take three extra classes with the help of this magical item._

 _Please keep this safe and concealed and as of the end of Second Year, we will discuss extra classes._

 _Professor M. McGonagall._

I see Hermione reading the same letter before looking over at me with a twinkle in her eyes. I smirked at my parcel before putting it gently in my bag fighting the impulse to open it just to see what it looks like but as I look up at McGonagall who is petting Hedwig, I smile as she gives me a rare smile back. Mae then suggest we go to Charms, I agree but quickly pass my brother to have a look at broomstick, it was beautiful, sleek and shiny. Harry then informs me that he has his first Quidditch lesson at seven tonight.

When Mae and I arrive at Charms, Draco and his minions are already there lent up against the stone walls of the corridor waiting for Flitwick to open the door and let us enter. When Harry and Ron arrive after putting the broomstick safety into the dormitory, Draco doesn't waste any time in tormenting Harry about having a broomstick and Ron tells Draco with confidence that the broomstick isn't an old broomstick but in fact a Nimbus Two Thousand – the broomstick made.

"What would you know about it, Weasley!" Draco hisses at Ron, I step forward defensively, "You couldn't afford half a handle, I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig."

Hermione, Mae and I all gasp at the evilness that Draco has just said which makes him furrow his brows in confusion and I almost lunge forward myself but Ron beats me too it but thankfully Harry and I snatch his arms just in time before Professor Flitwick opens the door to appear at Draco's elbow. "Not arguing, I hope." he squeaked before seating us.

The lesson carried on like usual, Hermione and Mae sit beside me. Draco sits opposite us burning daggers into Harry and Ron's face whilst occasionally giving Hermione killer looks. By the end of class, everyone was able to make their feather float. Hermione and myself got ten points for our house because we both made our feathers float first.

The rest of the day went by in a boring blur but as every hour passed, I could see Harry getting more and more anxious, throughout dinner, I kept looking over to see Harry nibbling at food whilst another Gryffindor sat opposite him, he was older with sharp features and brown short hair. Dinner usually finished about seven therefore Harry came over and said goodbye about half six before I was finished, I wished him good luck and then he left the Great Hall to fetch his broomstick and put on some more comfortable clothes.

With a smirk on my lips as Draco's eyes followed my brother from the hall, I returned back to my food happily.

LINE BREAKER.

I wasn't sure if it was the happiness that surged through me every morning I woke up to pull on my uniform, gather my magical books, adventure down to breakfast before sitting in lessons to learn magic or the fact I hadn't spent any time with Harry the last three days because of Quidditch practise with Oliver Wood, I could hardly believe that I had been attending Hogwarts for two months. The castle felt more like home than the Dursley's or Privet Drive every did and my lessons were becoming even more interesting now that I had mastered the basics.

I had always enjoyed Halloween in the muggle world, the idea of dressing up to pretend to be something your not, I think to all the little girls and boys dressing up as witches and wizards, knowing that I don't need to pretend made me smile and on Halloween morning, I woke up to the smell of baking pumpkins wafting through the corridors. Mae had brought some fake spiders and handed me one so whilst Pansy was still asleep, we placed one on her face and the other in her hair. And then we waited for the screams as we slowly got dressed. Mae said that the older Slytherins were planning on having a Halloween party in a secret location and only Fourth Years and older can attend.

"AHH!" we then heard the screams of Pansy as we brush our teeth in the room just off our room, the room only appeared when we need it. We both dart back into the bedroom to see Pansy desperately trying to get the plastic spider out of her hair, Mae and I laugh ourselves into hysteric.

The Great Hall was decorated beautiful with floating pumpkins with glowing faces and bats decorating the walls with spider webs. The corridors were decorated slightly similar but less exaggerated than the Great Hall which would look amazing tonight when the true effects were revealed. Mae and I sat and ate breakfast whilst Pansy seemed incredibly angry at us for the spider prank but she seemed to have forgiven us by the end of breakfast when she had told Draco and Blaise about it who laughed and high-fived us about the idea.

The days has blurred together so much that I didn't realise I had charmed again today, it had become one of my favourite lessons however having it twice a week seemed a bit to much but with everyone in our class able to make a feather float, Professor Flitwick decided we were all ready to start making actual objects fly which excited us all until Flitwick announced that he decided we were to be in partners but he had already picked the pairs which only disappointed us however Ron became devastated when he discovered he was paired with Hermione but it was hard to tell whether Hermione or Ron was angrier about this, I let out a sign to find I had been paired with Draco whilst Harry partner was Seamus – who liked to accidentally blow stuff up but between him and Neville, I think Harry would of chosen combustion over Neville. Tracy was partnered with Blaise whilst Neville was forced to work with Pansy.

Professor Flitwick handed out pillows to the pairs, and those who comfortably levitated their item first was given something more difficult to levitate. I watched the others as Draco attempted to move the pillow first, I watched Seamus swish and flick his wand in perfect motion whilst saying the words only for the pillow to remain motionless, he then only had to prod the pillow with his wand and it set fire – Harry had to put it out with his hat whilst Flitwick handed them a new pillow and suggested Harry goes first.

Draco gave up after not being able to levitate the pillow and told me to try. I signed heavily and swish and flicked my wand carefully before speaking the spell words clearly, " _Wingardium Leviosa._ " and the pillow gently began to float from its place on the desk. Draco stared at me in amazement which made me blush.

"Well done Miss Potter!" Professor Flitwick gushed clapping his small hands before I dropped the pillow back on the desk encouraging Draco to try again. He signed heavily but didn't argue which confused me and just as he spoke the words, that's when I hear Hermione's voice.

"You're saying it wrong!" she insists as Ron shouts the spell. "It's Wing- _gar-_ dium Levi- _o_ -sa, make the "gar" nice and long" she replies gently.

Ron went a beetroot colour as everyone turned to stare at the pair, "You do it then if your so clever!" he spits.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her robes, flickered her wand and said, " _Wingardium Leviosa!"_ And their pillow rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads. Professor Flitwick congratulated Hermione loudly in front of the glass which made Ron grow angrier and angrier and by the end of the lesson, Ron was in the worst mood I had ever witnessed, it was worse then Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia all mixed together, his face was redder than his hair and his eyebrows furrowed as he stormed out of the classroom with Harry, Ron, Seamus and Thomas.

I waited for Hermione after Charms but she refused therefore I walked with Mae and Pansy towards our next lesson and we weren't far behind the group of boys and Ron was talking nastily about Hermione but it wasn't in a hushed voice so everyone around him could hear. "It's no wander no one can stand her!" Ron snarled as they pushed through the crowded corridor, "She's a nightmare, honestly!" That is when Hermione stormed past me and the others before knocking into Ron. I sign heavily because there was no hope that she hadn't heard Ron.

"I think she heard you!" Pansy said loudly towards Ron with a grin on her face.

Ron turned to look at the Slytherin, "So?" he said without looking the least bit uncomfortable, "She must've realised she has no friends."

Pansy laughed at Ron's comment, I look at Mae who has the same awkward look on her face but we don't say anything and I fight the impulse to run after Hermione because I know that she wants to be alone but I do expect her to show up in the next lesson but she doesn't turn up and wasn't seen for the rest of the afternoon however walking towards the Great Hall I hear Parvati tell some girl named Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' toilet and wanted to be left alone, Ron didn't care however Harry looked a little put off, but the moment later, we had all entered the Great Hall where the full Halloween decorations were put up which stripped Hermione from their minds.

It had completely changed since this morning, thousands of living bats fluttered around madly swooping close to the tables whilst black cloaked figures flew about making ghostly noises, also in the air was floating candles and pumpkins that laugh like a maniac. Everything hovers at different heights. Once everyone was seated, the food appeared in front of us like it had at the beginning of the term and we all filed our golden plates and ate as much as we could. And even after twenty minutes, Hermione hadn't entered the hall and I was beginning to get worried.

I get up and tell Mae I'm going to the bathroom and to grab me a piece of pumpkin pie – which I had never tried before – if dessert is served before I come back. I left the Great Hall normally not to draw attention to myself, as I walk away I cross paths with Professor Quirrell who greets me pleasantly. Then I break into a gentle run towards the bathroom Hermione was purposely hiding in.

Hermione couldn't of picked a worse bathroom to hide in but I guess no one would come looking for her. The bathroom was close to the dungeons on the lower levels of the castle so the state of the room wasn't exactly a surprise, the entrance to the bathroom was a large stone archway which comes into a small area between the ten fall stalls made of green painted oak., the walls from the floor to six foot up was made of white tiles, on the left wall before the entrance to the one shower available was a rack where one deserted towel hung. Opposite the stalls on the wall was five marble sinks with dirty, rusting mirrors on the wall.

nine of the ten stalls were open leaving no real question where Hermione was hiding. I approach the second door from the left silently as Hermione continued to let out whimpers of tears before sniffing, blowing her nose and starting the process again. My heart sinks a little, in primary school I didn't have many friends – except Jude the lunch lady and having to live with the Dursley's didn't make me feel welcome either – so in some twisted way, I kind of knew how Hermione felt.

I knock on the large oak door, "Hermione?" I question.

There is a hiccup followed by a snotty sniff, "Go away Grace," a shrivelled voice say in a small voice.

Letting out a gentle sign, I knock again, "Come out, Hermione." I say encouragingly.

"No!" Hermione suddenly growls.

"You're not going to achieve anything by hiding in a toilet," I reply with a little snap whilst furrowing my brows, I understand that Hermione wanted to be left alone but I wasn't going to leave her, she believes that she doesn't have any friends but that's a lie, I told her that no matter what house I was in, I would be Hermione's friend no matter what. Hermione let out a loud huff from behind the oak door and refused to open it, "Well I'm not leaving," I say defiantly leaning up against the door using my right arm facing the back of the bathroom. Then I began to hum the most annoying tune I could think of knowing how irritating it was going to become for Hermione who wanted to be left alone.

After no longer than five minutes, Hermione spoke, "You're really going to stay until I come out?" she asks.

I nod, even though she cannot see me, "I said I wasn't going to leave."

Hermione sniffed, "Why though?" she questions.

Grinning softly, "I promised I would be your friend, don't listen to Ron, he's an idiot."

Without warning, Hermione opened the door causing me to loose balance with resulting in me falling into her, thankfully though, the Gryffindor grabbed me. I regained my balance and stood in front of her as Hermione wiped her tear wet cheeks with a little grin, but then she looked past me, her smile collapsed.

"What's wrong?" I ask but that's when I noticed the smell, it was disgusting worse than the toilet; a mixture of rotting food and the stench from the girls toilet. And that's when we heard it – a low grunt and the shuffling of steps of gigantic feet and some sort of dragging. Hermione's face went white, her eyes glued behind me.

I turned around confused to see the most hideous sight, whatever the hell this creature was, it was twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull grey with a lump body like a boulder with a small bald head sitting on its shoulder's like a coconut and its short legs are thicker than trees. The smell coming from the creature was awful and enough to make me feel sick. It was holding a huge wooden club which resting on the floor because its arm was far too long. I stare from its feet to its head, the creature was covered in warts with only two toes of which the nails were overgrown.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I make eye contact with the creature causing him to grunt at Hermione and myself. My heart picks up pace as I begin to step backwards knocking into Hermione in the process but this causes the thing in front of us to growl before stepping towards us, the ground shakes slightly but soon, Hermione and I are pressed up against the outside of the toilet stall.

"What is it?" I whisper almost inaudible.

"A troll." she replies in a shaky voice.

As the troll moves towards us dragging the heavy club, I grab Hermione's hand and drag her into the third toilet stall, then suddenly the loud noise of tumbling wood echoed, Hermione let out a scream as we fell to the dirty tiled floor covering our heads. Wood and dust crumble on top of us, masking our figures. Suddenly, the loud bang of the bathroom door slammed open, Hermione and I moved the wood from our heads to see Harry and Ron running into the room.

"Grace move!" Harry yells, Hermione and I scuttle across the floor, underneath the other stalls but the troll drives its club through the few stalls still standing strong. Hermione let out another yelp but I seemed vocally paralysed with terror.

Harry and Ron begin throwing pieces of wood at the troll, attempting to distracted and soon, it works and the troll takes its focus off trying to crush Hermione and myself long enough for us to crawl out of the mess of the destroyed stalls. The troll then turns its focus back to us as we crawl beneath the skin, it throws its wooden club through the marble sink, Hermione just about manages to move to avoid being hit.

"Help!" Hermione screams at the boys, her screams only seem to make the troll more focused on crushing us.

Then, Harry did something incredibly stupid: he took a great running jump and managed to clasp his arms around the club, as the troll lifted its club up, Harry dropped to wrap his legs around the creatures neck from behind. The troll noticed Harry's presence and begins to throw his head about trying to knock Harry off or catch him with a deadly blow with the club, Harry suddenly stuck his wand right up the trolls nose causing it to groan and cough.

And then, I watched the troll snatch my brothers leg, Harry was dangling in the air by his foot as the troll suddenly tries to beat my brother with the club.

"Do something!" Harry exclaims to Ron.

Ron just kind of raised his arms up in a questioning motion, "What?"

Harry hoisted his head to his feet to avoid the potential hits from the club. "Anything!"

I watched as Ron removed his wand from his robes, I look at Hermione who nods over to Ron who looks at her, almost for help, Hermione motions the 'swish-and-flick' perfectly and we watched as Ron did the spell, well... perfectly.

The club flew from the trolls hand, it rose higher and higher into the air before dropping onto the trolls face. There is a sickening crack and the troll began to sway dangerous, it dropped my brother who scrambled to safety beside Ron. Then, we all watched the troll fall flat on its face with a thud that made the entire room tremble.

Hermione and I got to our feet as we climb out from beneath the sinks, Harry was catching his breath but then suddenly, he launched himself on me, clutching me in a tight hug. However it was Hermione who actually spoke first.

"Is it – dead?"

Harry releases me, "No, just knocked out." And then he bent down to pull his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in light green and grey slim with little lumps.

"Eww, troll boogies!" I exclaim trying to lighten the situation but then suddenly, the loud slamming of footsteps approached making the four of us all look up. Non of us had realised the what a racket we had been making but of course, someone downstairs, possibly in the Slytherin common room, heard the crashes and troll roars.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall comes bursting into the room, closely followed by my head of house, Professor Snape and Quirrell, Harry quickly informs me that it was Professor Quirrell was the one who discovered the troll but then I think back to walking past the Dark Arts teacher who looked so calm and collective. Quirrell lets out a faint whimper as Snape's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of Harry and I whilst McGonagall's facial features didn't change, she was taking in the entire scene before looking at all of us.

"Explain yourselves immediately!" Professor McGonagall demanded pointing at Harry and Ron, I give a confused look to Hermione, of course it seemed logical for the teachers to assume the boys where behind the scene instead of Hermione and I who work incredibly hard in lesson. I can see the boys gasping for air almost as they try to explain, Snape is staring at then with white hot hatred whilst McGonagall remains strong standing in expecting an answer and whilst Professor Quirrell just stared at the troll in disbelief.

"Why aren't you in the safety of the dormitory, Miss Potter?" Snape suddenly asks me but I'm still completely frozen in terror however Snape doesn't question me any further.

"It was my fault, Professors." Hermione suddenly said taking us all by surprise. The Professors all turn their heads towards Hermione's staring in completely confusion. Harry, Ron and myself share in the teachers disbelief and turn to stare at her. "I went looking for the troll, I read about them and thought I could handle it but I was wrong –"

"What are you doing down here, Grace?" Professor McGonagall asks me, Snape attempts to explain my silence but there was really no need because Hermione had an answer for that as well.

"Grace noticed my absence at dinner and came looking for me but if Harry and Ron hadn't shown up, we both would have been killed." Hermione says. The Professors remain in their shocked state, that's when I notice blood on the floor by the teachers but looking around, neither Harry, Ron, Hermione or myself are bleeding, then I notice Snape's leg was cut.

"Be that as it may be," Professor McGonagall started, "It was an incredibly foolish thing to do, I would of expected more rational behaviour on your part Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor. Miss Potter, I understand that the unexpected absence of a friend is worrying but if there was any indication that Miss Granger had left due to a problem you should of informed a teacher."

I nod whilst the boys and Hermione understand that they have lost points.

"The points are taken because of Miss Granger's serious lack of judgement." Professor McGonagall explains before she takes a long soothing breath, "However, I just hope you all realise how fortunate you are, not many first year students can take on a fully grown Mountain Troll and live to tell the tale." she says staring at primarily, Ron, Harry and myself, "Five points... will be awarded to each of you, for sheer dumb luck!" she almost hisses before turning away from us.

Professor Quirrell lingers for a moment, gesturing for the four of us to leave, "Come on, you might want to leave in case he wakes up." he tells us with his stutter, Harry grabs my hand as we walk out of the now destroyed girl's toilet. Hermione smiles at me and when we came to the corridor where I am expected to turn one way, Hermione pulls me into a hug, whispering thank yous in my ear before pulling away.

"Now, you two, need to realise that your friends," I tell Ron and Hermione, Harry nods in agreement with me, "Despite how much you annoy each other, that's what best friends do." I insist.

Harry nods, "It's true, sometimes I want to lock Grace up in a cupboard but I love her, she's my best friend as well as my sister."

Ron and Hermione smile nervously at each other before hugging. I bid the others good night before following the commands of Snape to go to the common room. Hermione says she will wait for me outside the Great Hall tomorrow for breakfast. I cannot stop smiling as I climb into bed that night with a cup of hot chocolate Pansy had made up.

Hermione Granger had become Ron and Harry's friend, there are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and hiding under a sink whilst helping the boys knock out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I do realise that this chapter is both similar to the book and the films but I found it difficult to change the chapter without missing important bit, so apologises for that. I hope you've enjoyed this, I'm really sorry about how long I have left it to update this story, please comment and tell me what you think about this chapter. Favourite and Follow if you want to keep on reading._


	19. Chapter 19: First Quidditch Experience

Chapter Nineteen.

 **Broomstick Jinxing.**

The weather turned bitterly cold as we entered November, the large mountain peaks around the school had become icy grey and the Black Lake had frozen over like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost and Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs classroom defrosting broomsticks on the Quiddich pitch, wrapped up in a long moleskin overcoat and fluffy gloves and enormous boots to keep his feet warm.

November also meant it was the beginning of Quidditch season which meant not only is Saturday was the first match of the season, its also Harry's first match after weeks of training in secret, I'm not surprised that Harry being the new Gryffindor Seeker wasn't kept a secret for long with Ron and his brothers knowing. Most people from his house told him he was going to be brilliant whilst members of Slytherin tell him they are going to run beneath him with a mattress. The first Quidditch match was Gryffindor versus Slytherin so the question of who I will be supporting has come up in conversation far too much in the last few weeks.

Harry was very lucky to now have Hermione as a friend because I'm not sure how he would have gotten through all of his homework without her, especially with all the last minute Quidditch practice Wood is making the Gryffindor team undertake. Hermione had read a lot about Quidditch so it was her that informed me that it was a game between two teams made up of seven players and four balls – three Chasers who use a Quaffle to score points by throwing this ball through one of three of the other teams hopes, two Beaters who protect the other players from balls called Bludgers, one Keeper who protects their keeps hopes and one Seeker – Harry! – who must catch the Golden Snitch, a golden ball with wings no bigger than a golf ball around the pitch, according to Wood, is the quickest thing on the pitch and Harry or another teams Seeker must capture the Snitch in order to win the game.

Hermione had also given me and Harry a copy of _Quidditch through the Ages_ to share which turned out to be very interesting. We both learnt that there are seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players and that most serious accidents seem to happen to them a lot however people rarely died playing Quidditch – which didn't put either Harry or I at ease.

It had become noticeable that Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved us from the troll and she had eased up on being a know-it-all and as the winter crept in, Hermione had her advantages as she could conjurer up a bright blue flame which would be carried around in a jam jar so we were able to take it out when we adventured outside.

The day before Harry's first Quidditch match, the four of us were out in the freezing courtyard during break with the blue flame in the center with our backs to the courtyard when the echoing footsteps catch our attention, we all turn to see Snape crossing the year, I noticed immediately that he was limping, I nudge Harry and then we all cuddle in closer to conceal that fire; we weren't sure if we were actually allowed the fire but unfortunately, something about our guilty looks caught Snape's eye and he limps over, his eyes burning into the back of Harry's head which means that he wasn't looking at the fire which gave Hermione the chance to extinguish it.

"What have you got there, Potter?" Snape snaps.

Both Harry and I turn to look at him sharply, "Pardon?" we said in unison.

Professor Snape's eyes flicker between me and my brother, "Not you Grace, Mr Potter what have you got there?" he questions. It was _Quidditch through the Ages,_ Harry showed him the harmless item.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school." said Snape.

I snatched the book from my brother, "It's my book, Professor."

There is a glimmer of an emotion in Snape's eyes that I couldn't pinpoint but for a second he hesitates and then takes the book off me in a somewhat gentle manor. "It's lovely that you want to protect your brother, Miss Potter but he must learn to take the blame for his own mistakes." orders Snape before eyeing up the rest of us, "Give points from Gryffindor." he snarled before limping away.

"He just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily, "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"It was bleeding on Halloween night." I inform them in a hushed voice in case Snape's hearing was better than I expected, Harry and Ron look at each other with the same questioning gaze. I'm not sure why I hadn't told Harry sooner, I guess I never throught it meant anything, I still don't but it is suspicious that on the same night a mountain troll entered the castle, Hagrid's words echo through my mind _"there's no safer place than Hogwarts."_ Then how did the troll get in on its own? Or maybe someone let it in? Snape, possibly.

We all turned back inwards towards the jar which was now flickering with life again, consuming us all with warmth.

"I hope it's really hurting him," I heard Ron mumble bitterly.

* * *

The Slytherin common room – like usual – was buzzing with life that night. I put my stuff away up stairs before Mae and I go through our Charms homework whilst Misty chirps happily on her stand but then I notice that Milo is missing, he usually wanders about in the common room when its empty and around the ground during the day but he is usually on my bed when I get back however today is isn't.

Downstairs, Marcus Flint who is the Quidditch Captain for Slytherin, introduced himself and the rest of the team to the first years but my eye was immediately draw to Terence Higgs, he was the Seeker for the team and I knew him and Harry would be going head-to-head for the Snitch.

"Isn't that your cat?" Mae asks me, pointing towards the circle of boys in the corner of the common room, all sitting on push sofa's made into a horseshoe shape with two arm chairs sealing in group. I look over to see a group of snotty older looking students with Draco, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle seated in the center and curled up on Draco's lap was Milo.

I gasp, "Oh, that traitor!" I say sarcastically before marching over, Blaise notices me first and nudges Draco who looks up at me and smiles warmly which is a strange look on the Malfoy but I like it, Crabbe and Goyle say nothing whilst Draco and Blaise greet me warmly, then I notice Pansy sitting on the lap of an old Slytherin that happens to be the boy who was sat up late on the night I returned back after hours, he smirked at me like he knew me but didn't say anything, instead every now and again I felt him watching me, he couldn't be more than a fourth year.

"Ah I see, trying to steal my cat?" I say pretending to be angry.

Draco's face dropped, "Oh no, I'm sorry, he just climbed on my lap and I didn't have the heart to push him off." He tries to explain getting more and more flustered which makes me smile and the rest of the group look at him suspiciously.

"I'm kidding Draco, just look after him okay?" I say leaning into the group to rub my cat between the ears, Draco nods frantically brushing Milo as well, gently gliding our fingers against each other, "Because I'll kill you if you hurt him."

The boy who was acting as a seat for Pansy, raised an eyebrow at me with a smirk. Draco promised that he was going to return Milo later safety and I turned back to Mae who was talking to a brown haired boy so I leave her to it.

In the dorm, Misty was still there but she was nipping at the bars, so I open her cage and the window letting her go for a fly and fresh hair however once Misty was gone, Hedwig appeared with a note clasped in her beak.

"Hey girl." I coo taking the note from her beak and rewarding her with a small treat, she hooted and flew off, I sat down on my bed, immediately recognising the handwriting as Harry's and open the letter to find it incredibly blunt.

 _Grace,_

 _Meet us at the staircase now, very important._

Stuffing the note beneath my pillow, I snatched my robe and headed downstairs into the common room and exited the common room as some other student's. Mae was still talking to the boy she was beforehand and Pansy seemed to still believe the older boy was a chair. I half jog, half walk down the corridors before I come in contact with Harry, Ron and Hermione who were all bickering amongst themselves.

"What's wrong?" I question.

Hermione speaks first, "Harry and Ron think that Snape is after the package the three-headed dog is protecting."

"So do I," I reply with a shrug,

"What?!" Hermione practically yells in my face.

Harry, Ron and I all jump at her voice.

"Come on Hermione," Harry speaks, "I just heard him tell Filch, ' _How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?'_ He tried to get past the dog on Halloween – Grace even said his leg was bleeding!"

"Grace doesn't know what she saw," Hermione insisted.

I felt myself get angry, "I know exactly what I saw, Snape was bleeding and no doubt from trying to get past that weird, three-headed dog thingy."

"And I'll bet my brothers that he let that troll in to create a diversion!" Ron explodes.

Hermione's eyes grew wide, "No – he wouldn't." she stammered, "I know that he isn't very nice but he wouldn't try steal something from Dumbledore was keeping safe."

The rest of us all roll our eyes at Hermione, honestly she must think that all teachers are saints or something.

"Look, Hermione, I wouldn't put anything past Snape," Ron explains almost softly, "But you got to think about it logically."

Oh, Ron is smart, almost immediately you could see the wheels in Hermione's head begin to turn and her eyes go all squinty like they do in class when she's thinking. Harry and Ron high-five silently whilst I smirk. Harry then lets me know that this was all he wanted to speak to me about and says I can leave which irritates me, couldn't he of put this in his letter.

"But what was he after? What's the dog guarding?" I ask before I head back to the dormitory, there was no point accusing Snape of trying to steal something when we don't even know what it is but as I entered the common room, it was emptier than beforehand, Draco was absent therefore I assume he went to bed or out. Mae is in bed but Pansy is not but Milo is curled up just below my pillow but with an added accessory – a collar with a note attached. I gently removed the note from Milo's collar and smoothed out the piece of parchment.

 _Noticed that Milo didn't have a collar and felt it would be safest for people to know that he belongs to you. Hope you don't mind – Draco._

A stupid grin settles on my face as I looked at the collar, it was a dark green collar and a small tag with his name and mine along with information of where to return if found injured or lost. I put Draco's note in my trunk and reminded myself to thank him in the morning however as my head touches my pillow, I feel restless, worried about Harry as tomorrow was his first match I can only imagine how he is feeling right now. And then I think of Snape – odd, I know – but, what if he was trying to steal something from Dumbledore? Does the headmaster know? What was the package he was trying to take?

 _It's going to be a long night,_ I muse to myself as I listen to Mae's gentle yet irritating snores, willing my body to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was dressed in their house colours with pride. It was no secret that today was going to be cold so I made sure I bought me hat and scarf to breakfast. I will be supporting Slytherin this Quidditch match. The Great Hall was filled with delicious food such as fried sausages and cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to the first Quidditch match of the season. Despite wearing green and silver, the Gryffindor's allowed me to sit with my brother with minimal sneering.

"You have to eat something." said Hermione as we watch Harry poke his food around on the plate in front of him.

My brother frowned, "I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast." I tried to persuade.

But Harry was having non of it as he continued to shake his head and tell us he wasn't hungry but I knew Harry better, he was just nervous because in an our he'd be walking on to the pitch with the rest of the Gryffindor team. But no one else on the table seemed to want to help, Seamus informed Harry that Seekers are the one who get assaulted by the other teams to ensure that their Seekers get the Golden Snitch and the Weasley twins informed Harry that they couldn't make any promises to keep him completely safe from Bludgers.

At twenty to eleven, Blaise collected me from the Gryffindor table informing me that I had spent enough time with the opposition, but he said it with laughter so no one felt uncomfortable. I left with Mae, Blaise and Draco as Pansy was still clinging to the arm of the older boy from the common room. By eleven, the entire school seemed to be out in the stands around the huge Quidditch pitch and some students have binoculars. The seats in the stadium where raised high in the air – which meant a long climb to them – but it was still difficult to see as everyone crowed to the front.

"You know the Quidditch pitch used to be on the cliff on the other side of school." a rich voice echoed in my ear, I turn to see the black haired boy with Pansy on his arm, I just nod with a faint smile before turning back to Mae who hands me a flag on a wooden stick.

"Why did they move it?" you question but the boy was gone leaving Pansy who looked at you confused. You turn back to the pitch as the Slytherin team swooped out of the changing rooms on the right side and did several laps around the pitch, high-fiving bystanders. The Gryffindor supports where beside us and I could see Ron and Dean holding up a large banner that read: _Potter for President_ and Hermione had performed a charm to make it flash different colours.

Then Lee Jordan, the commentator and one of the Weasley twins' friend, announced that Gryffindor team and they came flying out of the changing room one by one. Harry was the last to exit the changing room and they did several laps of the pitch, Harry high-fived me which earned me a few disapproving looks.

Madam Hooch was refereeing which meant it would be a very clean game, Marcus Flint was sneering at Oliver Wood as they go to shake hands – its mandatory for captains – before Hooch takes the Quaffle in her hand and counts back from three before throwing the ball into the air, the Chasers go for the ball whilst the Keepers shoot backwards to defend their hoops.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too –"

" _JORDON_!" Professor McGonagall shrieked, she was sat beside Lee watching him closely.

"Sorry, Professor." Lee apologises,

The Quidditch players are zooming around and the balls become almost a blur but thank god for the commentator because otherwise I'd have no idea what was happening in this game.

"Neat bass to Alica Spinnet, a good fine of Oliver Wood – back to Johnson and – no, Slytherin have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes – Flint is flying like an eagle up there – he's going to sco – no, excellent intercept by Gryffindor Keeper Oliver Wood and Gryffindor takes the Quaffle – Chaser Katie Bell swoops round Flint, off up the field – _OUCH_ – Bludger to the back of the head, that must of hurt – Slytherin take the Quaffle – that's Adrain Pucey speeding towards the goalposts but he's blocked by the second Bludger – sent by either Fred or George Weasley – " the entire Slytherin crowd gasp and groan. "– Johnson is in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead an off she goes – come on now Angelina – Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air whilst howls and moans echo from the Slytherins' including myself. Then I heard a gruff voice and turned to see Hagrid squeezing into the back of the Gryffindor stand next door. I move from the Slytherin section to the opposite team to see Hagrid who was already stood with Hermione and Ron. A few Gryffindor's give me odd looks and I'm surprised they didn't hiss at me but I guess because I'm Harry's sister I have some sort of pass within the Gryffindor crowd.

"Grace!" Hagrid boomed before taking in my outfit, "Oh, supporting Slytherin this match, eh?"

I blush, Hermione gasped whilst Ron chuckled.

"Hagrid, Slytherin is her house but Harry is her brother, she's supporting both houses." Hermione said to Hagrid in a firm voice that made Hagrid look rather sorry for his accusation.

"Bin watchin' from the hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "Not the same as bein' in the crowd. Any sign of the Snitch, yet?"

I shake my head, "No, Harry hasn't had must to do." I tell Hagrid who huffed in disappointment, it was true, Harry had been gently floating round the pitch for the duration of the game. We had waved to each other a few times but for the most part – Harry kept his eyes squinted looking for the snitch but of course, the Slytherin Beaters were using every chance they get to knock Harry from the game.

Then Harry saw it, a flash of gold before diving downwards after it. My house Seeker – Terence – had also seen the Snitch. The both followed the pattern of the Snitch and the Chasers even seemed to have forgotten what they suppose to be doing as they floated in mid-air to watch. Harry was faster than Terence then suddenly, a roar echoed from the Gryffindors as Flint deliberately blocked Harry with his broom causing my brother to spin off course and hold onto his broom for dear life.

Once he'd gotten his bearings, Harry dodged another Bludger which went spinning past his head, getting very dangerously close to my brothers head when suddenly his broomstick made a frightening lurch. He gripped the broomstick tightly before it happened again, it was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. No one was helping but from the seats I could see the terrified expression on Harry's face as he looked over at Wood in desperation. Lee continued to commentate but Harry didn't have any luck with directing the Nimbus.

Slytherin was in procession of the Quaffle and then they score, you find yourself screaming and cheering along with the rest of your house whilst Ron and Hagrid look at me with a hint of loathing whereas Hermione grins at my enthusiasm..

Harry's broom then rolled over to throw him off, then I witness my brother dangling in the air, clutching onto his flying broomstick. _Join the magic school they said,_ I thought as I moved closer to Hermione, _it'll be fun they said._

"Harry's broom has been tampered with!" Hagrid accuses.

Hermione looked from Hagrid, snatching his binoculars before looking around the stadium, "Snape – look, he's jinxing the broom!" she hissed at Ron and myself, I snatched the binoculars from Hermione before staring at Snape through them. He was sat in the teachers box, his eyes pinned on Harry and he looked as though he was mumbling words but I couldn't make them out.

"Cheating Slytherins!" Ron hissed angrily. I almost snarled at him which made the Gryffindor step back. "What now?"

"Leave it to us," Hermione tells him before taking my hand, I watch as Harry attempts to pull himself up onto his broom but the stick jerked throwing him off again, the Weasley twins attempted to help pull him onto one of their broomsticks but every time that George or Fred got close, the broom would leap higher into the air. Hermione kept a tight hold of my hand as we descended onto the stairs within the stadium, my heart racing as we sprinted through the wooden corridors.

We got to the section beneath the seats and located Snape, Hermione kept me on lookout in case one of the teachers left the stand. She then pulled out her wand and placed it on the bottom of Snape's black robe, I listen as she whispers a few words causing blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robe, it took about thirty seconds for someone to realise that Snape is on fire.

Rushing back to the stands, we saw Harry back on his broomstick without an issue, suddenly Terence and Harry were again in a head-to-head race for the small golden ball. They dove towards the ground but as the solid ground got closer and closer, Terence looked from Harry to the ground before eventually pulling up.

The tip of Harry's broom hits the floor sending him flying, as the entire crowd watched as he clapped his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick – he couched on the pitch on all fours – coughed – and then something golden fell into his hands.

"Harry Potter has caught the snitch!" Lee announced as the small golden object closed its wings.

Madam Hooch blew the whistle, "GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it." Flint argued – well howled – but no one was listening, like many other Gryffindor's, I stood up and screamed with cheers. In fact I was allowed to rush into field and engulf my brother in a hug, I could feel his strong and frantic heartbeat against me. As I look at Snape, I felt hatred, trying to kill an innocent boy. Protecting my brother was a natural instinct and I felt ashamed to have even felt a likeness for my head of house.

But Harry had won the match and for now, I will celebrate like a Gryffindor.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I hope you all had a fantastic christmas and your new years were amazing! I'm sorry this took me so long to do, again it's a long chapter and I've been having relationship issues. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Review and follow/favourite._


	20. Chapter 20: Beautiful Time of the Year

Chapter Twenty.

 **Best Christmas Ever.**

One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts found itself buried in several feet of pure white snow, it seemed almost immediately that the Weasley twins took the opportunity to cause havoc by bewitching several snowballs so they followed Professor Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. As my life had been surrounded by the Dursley's, Christmas was never an exciting time for me or Harry but as it edged closer, I found myself for the first time since a little kid, being exited about the thought of the twenty-fifth of December not because of the snow or the fact Harry and I are older, but because this Christmas we wouldn't be with the Dursley's.

Hogwarts gives students the opportunity to stay at the school over holidays if they don't wish to go back home. Professor McGonagall had come round a few weeks before term finished for Christmas and Harry and I signed up at once, and because Hermione was adventuring home for Christmas, the school even granted me permission to stay in the Gryffindor dorms with Hermione's consent to stay in her bed.

The entire school was practically buzzing with excitement, even the Slytherins wouldn't contain their excitement for the holidays to start, in the common room presents where exchanged whilst a large Christmas tree is placed in one of the corners decorated in – _obviously_ – green and silver ordainments. The common room is naturally cold but even in the winter, we needed to fight against the bitter cold. The prefects would ensure the fires wouldn't die -whilst casting warmth spells to keep the heat in. However, thanks to Hermione showing me the fire-in-a jam-jar spell, my dorm was toasty warm.

Like our common room, the Great Hall had a roaring fire however the corridors had become icy and bitter winds rattled the windows in every class room but the worst of all was Snape's classes down in the dungeons where our breaths rose in a mist before our faces and everyone would practically press up against the cauldrons to keep warm. And like every potions lesson, Snape paired up most of the students, incidentally placing me with Draco, Harry with Neville, Ron with Crabbe and Hermione with Pansy.

It had become very obvious that Draco was irritated by the results of the first Quidditch match of the season and had become even more unpleasant towards Harry than usual. At first he tried to get everyone laughing by saying that a tree-frog could replace Harry as Seeker but when he realised that no one found it funny, he returned to the cowardly taunting Harry about having no proper family – which made me grow so angry he's lucky I didn't attempt to drown him in the cauldron.

"I do feel sorry for all those people who have to stay at school for Christmas because they're not wanted at home." Draco said snidely as he glared over at Harry who was measuring out powder for the potion. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. It was then I lost my temper, carefully stamping my heel onto the toes of his foot which makes him flinch downwards, I lift up my heavy potions textbook which makes sharp contact with his forehead.

"Ugh!" Draco wailed. Harry had seen my actions and laughed so hard he accidentally blew powder into Seamus cauldron opposite which causes a loud bang and red sparks to explode into the room causing everyone to jump and small yelps of surprise.

"DETENTION FINNIGAN!" Snape bellowed over the noise of everyone coughing and waving their hands to try banish the smoke from our faces. Draco didn't appear to be very pleased with me but I didn't care, he didn't apologise however as we all pack our stuff up, he did seem angry with me, I was expecting a nasty comment or some sort of insult towards me or Harry but he simply walked out within the company of his minions.

I waited for Harry, Ron and Hermione and as we wandered off to our next lesson, the conversation turned form the disaster of Draco Malfoy to the three-headed dog on the third-floor and what is it guarding. The cold nipped at any exposed skin so we all had our scarf's tied around our necks as high as we could whilst our coats where buttoned up to the top.

"Okay, so we've established that it's guarding something and we know its a grubby little package but what is inside?" Harry questioned.

Ron signs, "Whatever it is, Snape risked it's life to get past it on Halloween. For Godsake, it's a bloody three-headed dog!" he hissed the last part angrily but only then did I notice the heavy footsteps, we all turned to greet the image of Hagrid in a large overcoat.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" he asked sternly.

"That thing has a name?" Hermione said sharply as we all walked across the grounds.

Hagrid looked down at us, "Of course – he's mine – then I leant him to Dumbledore to guard the –"

" _Yes_?" I asked eagerly.

The Gamekeeper growls, "I should not of said that, no more questions! That's top secret!"

"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy is guarding, Snape trying to steal it!" Harry pleads.

Hagrid stops in his tracks, we all stop with him almost as if we are challenging him. "Rubbush! Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher."

Hermione steps forward, "Hogwarts teacher or not, I know a jinx when I see one, you've got to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking, he tried to kill Harry."

"Exactly." Harry said.

Hagrid leant forwards and with a stern face, he spoke in a deep and terrifying voice, "Now listen to me, all four of yeh – your meddlin' in things that ourt not to be meddled in." he gives us a firm look, "It's dangerous and what Fluffy is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel!"

That sparked all of our interests, Harry looked at me whilst Ron and Hermione shared familiar looks.

"Nicolas Flamel?" Harry said.

Hagrid's face fell violently, "I should not of said that." he mumbled to himself over and over again, but Hagrid had given us the next step to figuring out what was inside the brown package that Fluffy was guarding. The Gamekeeper walked off mumble words of annoyance to himself.

"Now we've got to figure out who Nicolas Flamel is." I smirked to Hermione who shared my sinister smile.

* * *

Ever since Hagrid let it slip, un the weeks leading up to the holidays, Hermione and I spent more time that was deemed healthy in the library trying to find any information on who Nicolas Flamel is so we could figure out what Snape was attempting to steal but the trouble was, never hearing of Nicolas Flamel before, it was almost impossible to know what he had done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in _Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century,_ or _Notable Magical Names of Our Time_ ; he was also missing from _Important Modern Magical Discoveries_ and _A Study of Recent Development in Wizardry._ And it didn't help that the library was incredibly huge housing tens of thousands of books, thousands of shelves and hundreds of narrow rows. It would take us years to skim through all of the books.

And on the day before the holidays, I throw the twentieth book I've looked at onto the pile of useless books and groaned in defeat. "Given up?" a voice said from behind me, I turn to see Hermione holding a large trunk wearing normal clothes but still wearing her Gryffindor scarf.

I nod, "There is nothing here about Nicolas Flamel." I tell her, gathering the books and beginning to place them away, Hermione helps as we hold the books by the shelves in which I collected them from, letting go the book floats up into the slot on the shelve.

"How long have you got before the train leaves?" I ask as we adventure through the cold corridors towards the Great Hall where Ron and Harry had retreated to after an hour of helping me shift through books. The room had several people in it but it was easy to notice where my brother and his best friend is, considering they were surrounded by George and Fred who were chanting.

As Hermione and I got closer, we noticed a chessboard on the center of the table between Ron and Harry. Ron read out instructions to the board and without touching it, the queen came to life on the board, picked up her small chair before smashing the opposing chess-piece into pieces. I thought it was really cool and asked Ron to teach me over the holidays.

"That's barbaric!" Hermione objected.

"That's wizards chess." Ron smirks up at her before looking at her trunk, "See you've packed."

Hermione nods, "See you haven't."

I looked at Harry who raised an eyebrow at me, Ron's life at home sounded amazing, he was one of several children and always spoke very fondly of his parents and siblings so I was shocked to hear that he wouldn't be spending Christmas with them.

"Change of plans, my parents have decided their going to Romania to visit my brother Charlie, he's studying Dragons out there." Ron informs Hermione, my jaw practically hits the floor, his brother works with dragons!

"He works with dragons?!" I question, sounding a little too excited but Hermione doesn't give Ron the opportunity to reply to me.

"Well then, you can help Grace and Harry, searching for books on Flamel." Hermione tells Ron like a teacher.

The boys faces drop, "We've looked a hundred time." Ron objected.

Hermione leans in, "Not in the restricted section." she practically winks. All of our mouths dropped open, "Merry Christmas." she then says before hugging me and then departing. Taking a seat beside Ron I look at the boys who looked at each other in surprise.

"I think we've had a bad influence on her." Ron tells us, Harry and I laugh at Ron's statement, no doubt all remembering back to a time when Hermione wouldn't dare put a toe out of line. I nod in agreement before starting an entirely different conversation about dragons and Charlie with Ron whilst Harry practised wizards chess.

A few hours later, McGonagall approached us informing me that everyone in the Slytherin and Gryffindor common rooms had departed for home and I could then move into the Gryffindor dorms. Harry and Ron had been told to give me a hand with my trunk, not that I needed help but I think Professor McGonagall is trying to get Gryffindor and Slytherins to trust each other a bit more. As we approached the lower levels of Hogwarts, I could almost feel the boys getting more and more nervous and they began to whine about having to enter the Slytherin common room, not that Harry and Ron needed to worry because no one in Slytherin – aside from me – stays during the holidays, too much pure-blood family pride or something stupid so as I enter the common room, the fire is still roaring but you could hear a pin drop and the songs of creatures in the Black Lake.

"It's creepy in here." Ron remarks walking around the common room nervously as if a gang of Slytherins was going to jump out and attack them. Harry wanders over to the window that looks within the Black Lake, I hadn't spent much time looking out into the waters but Harry appeared to be memorized.

"You can sit down." I tell Ron has he nervously hop from foot-to-foot not knowing what to do.

Ron looked at me as if I was crazy, "No way, I might catch something." he almost hisses.

Scoffing, I grab a pillow from the black sofa beside me and threw it strongly at the red-head, he yelped as the soft pillow made direct contact with his face before chanting loudly, " _Ron's got Slytherin cooties!_ " whilst dancing about like an idiot. Ron flushed deep red whilst Harry laughed.

"Stop being so whiny, not every Slytherin is like Draco Malfoy, okay?" I say, a little sharper than intended but it made me angry when Ron assumed that because some Slytherin students were far from pleasant, that everyone in that house is like that, I meant come on, Mae's brother is a Hufflepuff! – and lets be honest, some Gryffindor's have more pride than they know what to do with but not all of them are cocky and full of themselves.

We made quick work of collecting my trunk as well as Milo who purred happily at the sight of Harry and rubbed fondly up against his legs as he carried the end of my trunk and I carried the front, Ron still looks slightly disgusted that he had just been forced to go into the place where Slytherins sleep but after the firm hit with the pillow he seemed to get the hint.

The Gryffindor common room is located in many of the towers Hogwarts is made up of, it was so different from my common room, it was vast but incredibly cosy, curtains hung from the wall as well as moving photos with large rugs and large arm chairs as well as sofas with a huge open fire where above on the stone wall was a carving of the Gryffindor crest. There was several large windows as well as a table and chairs on the right just by the entrance from the small corridor into the common room.

Like my house common room, it was decorated with beautiful Christmas decorations and over the fireplace were three maroon felt stockings labelled with: _R, H_ and _G_ in golden thread. Harry helped me carry my trunk up the stairs to the balcony that over looks the common room, the door to the boys dorm was of the left whilst the door to the girls dormitory was to the right and considering that it was only me, Harry and Ron staying, Harry was allowed to actually enter the girls dormitory to show me where Hermione usually stays.

For the rest of the evening, Ron teaches me how to play wizards chess on the floor in front of the fire whilst Harry reads in the arm chair in the armchair beside us with Milo curled up in his lap. On Christmas Eve, I left the boys playing yet another game of wizards chess and went to meet with Professor McGonagall who had secretly been helping me guy presents for my friends, being a first year and not in her house, she wasn't able to grant me permission to go into Hogsmeade but agreed that if I provided a list and the money she would be more than happy to gather the items for me. I gave Hermione her presents before she left for home on the last day of term but gave her strict instructions not to open them until Christmas.

It was hard to sleep in the Gryffindor dorm's but it wasn't because I felt like I was almost cheating on my house but because as I laid in the soft sheets, my body tingled with excitement but as the clock struck twelve and Christmas day dawned, my eyelids eventually fell shut and I was wrapped in darkness.

* * *

"GRACE! WAKE UP!" the screams of Ron and Harry mixed with the loud bangs on the wooden door of the girls dormitory shock me from my sleep forcing me to sit up right in my bed. Without even changing from my nightdress, I grabbed my dressing gown and slipped on my slippers before racing for the common room. I'm shocked to see that beneath the Christmas tree is a large selection of gifts put into three piles, admittedly one pile was bigger than the other two but the boys seemed excited nonetheless.

"Your pile is on the left." Harry said diving for the pile on the right.

I stare at them in shock, "I've got presents?"

Without even looking at me the boys nodded, we unwrapped our presents happily. I was surprised to find that Ron had gotten me a present, after our conversation about his brother who works with Dragons, Ron had given me a necklace with the tooth of a Swedish Short-Snout. Hermionehad bought me a book on advanced Transfiguration as she knows how much I enjoy the lessons, Mae had bought me a box of chocolates whilst Pansy had got me a very expensive looking snake broach. I picked up a thick brown parcel that had _To Grace, from Hagrid_ scribbled across the top, inside was a beautifully carved flute.

Picking up the smallest item of all, I read the note that simply read, _enclosed Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia._ Sellotaped to the note was a fifty-pence pieces.

"That's nice." I say sarcastically screwing up the note, Harry held up the exact same item. Ron seemed so surprised by the shape of the money therefore we just threw them at him so he could examine them closer.

"Who sent these?" Harry asked picking up two parcels from beneath the tree, one labelled H and the other G. Ron's pale skin has turned pink with embarrassment.

"My mum, I told her that you two didn't expect any presents." Ron explained in a low voice before tugging on the jumper that he wore, it was maroon colour with small white spots with a large R in the center of his chest sewn in gold thread, "It's a Weasley jumper for you both."

True to his word, as Harry and I ripped open our presents we were greeted by a thick hand-knitted sweater in a beautiful lilac purple with a large G on the front and a large box of home-made fudge. Without hesitation, I remove my dressing gown and put on the sweater which made Ron smile.

Harry had gotten me a "best sister" bracelet whilst I has gotten him a holder for his wand – knowing that he had a tendency to break his glasses, I would help protect his wand – after this, there was only one parcel left on my pile, it was a box no bigger than the palm of my hand and as I picked it up I realised that it was light with a note attached that read:

 _This belonged to your mother before she died._

 _I hope you admire it as much as she did._

There was no name or any hint of a signature however I ripped the perfectly packaged item open to reveal a carved box and inside was the most beautiful locket I had ever seen – admittedly I hadn't seen many items of jewellery but this one was incredibly – the chain was silver and the locket itself was decorated with green vines with a large stag silhouette in the center. Turning the locket over in my hand, the inscription in the back reads: Yours _Forever._ Slipping my nail in the gap around the locket, I pry it open to reveal two pictures, moving pictures. The one of the left is of dad twirling my mum about in the snow in front of a water fountain and the photo in the middle is of mum holding Harry whilst dad held me as Harry and I fused about being apart whilst mum and dad laughed at us before sharing a quick kiss.

"What you got?" Harry asked as he unwrapped his present. I handed it too him and watched his soften, he smiles warmly before handing it back and continuing to study his present. "What is that?" I ask him putting on the locket.

Harry shrugged, "A cloak."

"Put it on then." Ron suggested. Harry nodded and stood up, the cloak was shiny and silvery but the patterns on the front appeared to be almost like water colours, before my brother has a chance I touch the cloak, it was strange to the touch almost like water was woven into the silk material. And as Harry threw the cloak over his shoulder, Ron and I watched in complete amazement as the body of my brother completely disappeared.

Turning to Ron who shared the same expression as me, we stood up dropping the sweets we had been eating to the floor as Harry raised a questionable eyebrow at us. "What?" he asked.

"That's an Invisibility Cloak." said Ron almost like it wasn't surprisingly at all. It was Harry's turn to share my expression as he looked down to see what I assume to be the floor. And then his expression turned to the same as Ron's – pure excitement.

"My bodies gone!" he exclaimed twirling round.

"Who sent it?" I asked picking up the note which read:

 _Your father left this in my possession before he died._

 _It is time it was returned to you._

 _Use it well._

Like my locket, there was no signature or name. A complete mystery, however we couldn't revel in the mystery for long, it was almost twelve o'clock and we knew that Christmas dinner was going to be served soon. We put our presents upstairs and change into normal clothing – still wearing our Weasley jumpers – and raced down to the Great Hall to find that Professor McGonagall who wore a beautiful red pin and Professor Dumbledore, who had swapped his regular pointed hat for a flowered bonnet, where sat on one of the student tables. We joined them and shared Christmas stories, I expected them to vacate to the High Table when the food was scheduled to appear but they didn't. They remained sat with us as we discussed family, Christmas and McGonagall even helped with some of the Transfiguration we didn't understand.

And as we stuffed our faces with the endless food available, I looked over at my brother who smiled at me warmly before raising his glass filled with steaming hot chocolate.

"To the best Christmas ever." he said happily.

I picked up my glass and clicked it to his, "Merry Christmas, Harry."

Harry's eyes glistened, "Merry Christmas, Gracie."

And as I watched everyone else raise their glasses to join in our toast, I knew that this was the best Christmas we had ever had and they were going to get a lot better from now on.

* * *

 **A/N:** _So sorry again for the time it took me to update, I had some personal issues going on so I'm sorry. Anyway, what do you guys think of this chapter? It isn't very exciting but I thought it would be important to write a chapter about Harry and Grace's first real christmas together. Please comment, follow and favourite if you enjoy this story!_


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